Forum: english.stackexchange.com
Tags: <offensive-language><ethnonyms>
Title: Is "Eskimo" a universally offensive term?
Question: I know that "Eskimo" is an offensive term in Canada; they use the term "Inuit".   But I see the term "Eskimo" popping up regularly in news articles that I read; I hardly see the term "Inuit" being used. Why? Ignorance? Apathy?  Is the term "Eskimo" offensive only in Canada, or in the rest of the world too?

Answers:
sents: text: There are at least two different types of Eskimo: Inuit and Yupik.
text: In Canada and Greenland, the only type of Eskimo is the Inuit.
text: However in the United States, both types are present and in Russia, only the Yupik are present.
text: So, Eskimo couldn't really mean anything other than Inuit in Canada whereas in Alaska it could very well be referring to either.
text: In Russia, it could only mean the Yupik.
text: The point is that Eskimo is a more general word than Inuit.
text: All Inuit are Eskimos but
text: not all Eskimos are Inuit.
text: The two words aren't synonyms.
text: According to Wikipedia , the term is offensive in Canada and Greenland and not elsewhere.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/2385/aaronasterling
score: 23
sents: text: As a Brit with relatively little knowledge of English as it's spoken on the other side of the pond, I would use Eskimo.
text: It has no negative connotations in Europe
text: I've heard the term 'Inuit' and vaguely associate it with Eskimo, but I'd never use it actively.
text: To answer your question, at least from the British perspective, yes it seems that it's only derogatory in Canada; and this is due neither to ignorance nor apathy, to us
text: it's the correct word.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/3755/smirkingman
score: 14
sents: text: Having been born and raised in various parts of Alaska I can say, yes, the word is considered offensive there.
text: Its usage in the media is usually accurate, as most northern indigenous peoples can safely be referred to as 'Eskimos', but the term is a wide generalization - and most wide generalizations are offensive to those they encompass.
text: If you find yourself about to use the term in conversation, try a more specific replacement.
text: In Alaska, the most congenial would be 'Alaska Native'.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/3745/Brandon
score: 7
sents: text: But I see the term "Eskimo" popping up regularly in news articles that I read; I hardly see the term "Inuit" being used.
text: Why?
text: Ignorance?
text: Apathy?
text: I would chalk it up to more ignorance than apathy, and also because there is no other generic shorthand word to refer to all the native peoples of northern Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Alaska.
text: Is the term "Eskimo" offensive only in Canada, or in the rest of the world too?
text: The Inuit of Canada and Greenland find the word to be pejorative, so the Government of Canada and the media in Canada have understandably taken this into account and refer to them by their own name for themselves.
text: Many people in Canada don't realize the Inuit consider it a slur, and even less know this in the rest of the world, so you'll continue to see the word in print.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/1871/ghoppe
score: 5
sents: text: There is a nice explanation by the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks: Although the name "Eskimo" is commonly used in Alaska to refer to all Inuit and Yupik people of the world, this name is considered derogatory in many other places because it was given by non-Inuit people and was said to mean "eater of raw meat."
text: Linguists now believe that "Eskimo" is derived from an Ojibwa word meaning "to net snowshoes."
text: However, the people of Canada and Greenland prefer other names.
text: "Inuit," meaning "people," is used in most of Canada, and the language is called "Inuktitut" in eastern Canada although other local designations are used also.
text: The Inuit people of Greenland refer to themselves as "Greenlanders" or "Kalaallit" in their language, which they call "Greenlandic" or "Kalaallisut."
text: Most Alaskans continue to accept the name "Eskimo," particularly because "Inuit" refers only to the Inupiat of northern Alaska, the Inuit of Canada, and the Kalaallit of Greenland, and it is not a word in the Yupik languages of Alaska and Siberia.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/9646/Taj Moore
score: 1
sents: text: I strongly suspect that the claim that "Eskimo" means "eater of raw meat" is an urban legend, just like the "Eskimo words for snow" claim.
text: The term may be offensive if it's an overly broad or an exclusionary term, but that's a different kettle of fish.
text: As a random factoid, Esky is a genericized trademark for portable cooler in Australia.
text: Another brand of portable cooler/esky is Igloo .
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/1420/Andrew Grimm
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
"Eskimo" may be used in various news articles because "Eskimo" is a more general word than "Inuit" and the two words aren't synonyms. Additionally, the term "Eskimo" is only considered offensive in Canada and Greenland and has no negative connotations in Europe. However, in any case, it is more likely to be the result of ignorance than aparthy, since there is no other general shorthand word to refer to all native peoples in northern Canada, Russia and Greenland.
The two words are not synonyms. Eskimo is a more general term than Inuit. There are at least two different types of Eskimo, including Inuit and Yupik. Canada is home to Inuits only, Russia only has Yupiks and both peoples live in the US.
The use of "Eskimo" in the media is usually accurate, as most northern indigenous peoples can safely be referred to as "Eskimos". The term is a wide generalization, but there is no other generic way to refer to the native peoples of northern Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Alaska. The Inuit of Canada and Greenland find the word "Eskimo" to be pejorative, so the Canadian government and media have adopted the term "Inuit". Many people in Canada don't realize that  the Inuit consider it a slur, and even fewer know this in the rest of the world, so you will continue to see the word in print.
The term "eskimo" is considered to be offensive only in North America and nowhere else. As a result, it may be frequently used simply as a result of ignorance. However, some usage in the media may be correct since there is no other term that performs the same function.