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Caucasian VS White?

7 replies
:
What is the difference?

Does 'Caucasian' refere to a specific group of white people, in particular, those who are from

the Western Europe?

Thank you.
New Member26
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This is the definition from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

Caucasian Show phonetics
adjective
belonging to the races of people who have skin that is of a pale colour:
The chief suspect for the robbery is a Caucasian male.

Do native speakers use this word exactly as the dictionary defines?
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Honestly, the only time I see or hear Caucasian is on printed forms or on police dramas on television. People (here) rarely say it (although we often just don't talk about race at all).
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:
Does 'Caucasian' refere to a specific group of white people, in particular, those who are from

the Western Europe?

Actually, it's more like the opposite. "White" is the more ambiguous term, and opinions as to whom should be included vary from region to region, country to country, and person to person. Generally though, a "White" person is considered to be someone of European ethnicity. "Caucasian" is more technical term. It is certainly not limited to western Europeans, as the Caucasus region (from whence the term came) is located mostly in Asia. No, "Caucasian" (or more correctly "Caucasoid") is an anthropological term for a race of people which includes those native to Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, West Asia, parts of central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Thus, it is clear that the "Caucasians" actually display a wide range of skin color, and include many people often not though of as "White".

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:
Hi,

Apart from TV police dramas, I see 'Caucasian' in published demographic surveys and statistics. In my experience, most opeople and the media today avoid talking about 'white people', as it not only raises many tricky questions about definitions but also gets some people's emotions and prejudices stirred up.

Best wishes, Clive
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I've only ever heard "Caucasian" used in this context on American TV programmes or films. In Britain it means somebody from the Caucasus, e.g. Georgia, Azerbaijan.
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'White' is an acceptable word in the UK.

These things vary from country to country.
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Anonymous:
Caucasians come from the mountainous region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. From the countries of Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Those people are caucasians. Research you family history to find out where they came from. That will tell you what you are.
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