ethnic Korean enjoying recent fame

Status
Not open for further replies.

keannu

VIP Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
Does this "ethnic" refer to "a person from a minority" not in racial sense?

12)These days, Hollywood is welcoming more and more young Korean-American actors into the casts of its blockbuster movies... But Yoo isn't the only ethnic Korean enjoying recent fame...
 

Raymott

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Australia
Current Location
Australia
Does this "ethnic" refer to "a person from a minority" not in racial sense?

12)These days, Hollywood is welcoming more and more young Korean-American actors into the casts of its blockbuster movies... But Yoo isn't the only ethnic Korean enjoying recent fame...
Are you thinking about your questions before posting them today keannu?
"Yoo isn't the only ethnic Korean ..." What else could this possibly mean, but that Yoo is racially, or by nationality, Korean?
 

keannu

VIP Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
[h=3]I thougt about it, the first meaning that came into my mind was also "racially, by nationality", but this definition only in Korean says it can sometimes mean "a person from a minority" as a noun form. Yes, that was not a noun but an adjective, but I was a little bit confused.

ethnic : ??? ????
명사[/h](특히 美) 소수 민족 출신자
 

SoothingDave

VIP Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
American English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
They have an "ethnic food" aisle in the supermarket, where you may find specialties from Mexico and the Middle East and Asia, etc. There "ethnic" would refer to a minority status, these items are not as popular or known of as are the items in the other aisles in the store.

But in your context it clearly means someone whose heritage is Korean.
 

Raymott

VIP Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
English
Home Country
Australia
Current Location
Australia
I thougt about it, the first meaning that came into my mind was also "racially, by nationality", but this definition only in Korean says it can sometimes mean "a person from a minority" as a noun form. Yes, that was not a noun but an adjective, but I was a little bit confused.

ethnic : ??? ????
명사


(특히 美) 소수 민족 출신자
'Ethnic' doesn't mean "a person from a minority" unless they are also from an ethnic minority. It doesn't mean a group which comprises less than 50% of the population, which is what "a minority group" is.
Here are some minority groups in Australian society - men, amputees, high income earners, Koreans, cat owners, dentists... Only one of these minorities could be referred to as 'ethnic'.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top