Describing a

People Group
(Ethnic Group)

August 2005
Copyright © 2005 Orville Boyd Jenkins Describing a People Group
 Describing a
People Group
2 Steps
Define their Worldview Unit
(Broad Ethnolinguistic Identity)
Define their Segments
(Sub-groups within Ethnolinguistic Identity)

Describing a People Group

Define their Worldview Unit
The Cultural Worldview Unit
=
The Ethnolinguistic Unit
Language is integral to Cultural
Worldview

Describing a People Group

Define their Worldview Unit

Each discernible box

=
one worldview unit

Describing a People Group

 Define their Worldview Unit

Culture/Worldview Groups Overlap

Find the discrete groupings based on
cultural, social and linguistic factors
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

Could represent many countries or

regions of the world, with several
cultures present, with varying degrees of
separate identity.
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

Smaller groups lie within the Green

culture section
Some Green culture characteristics are in
those smaller groups
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

The boundaries of some of the

smaller groups are more distinct
than others
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

Pink culture – clearly-defined lines of

identity,
yet 1 segment has aspects of the Black
and Green cultures, as well as some
ambient Yellow
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

Some of the smaller groups also share

some characteristics

Describing a People Group

 Define their Worldview Unit

Green culture also lies within a larger broad

culture group, represented by Black
Might be considered a sub-group of Black --
However, its boundaries are clearly defined as a
totally separate culture
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

There is a section of the dominant Black

culture totally within the Green culture
Certain areas of the smaller cultures also
share some of the Black characteristics
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

Members of these groups will likely think

of themselves as members of different
levels of culture groupings

Describing a People Group

 Define their Worldview Unit

Any identified grouping can be further

analyzed into some smaller groupings
Boundaries may not be clear, will usually
be somewhat fuzzy
Describing a People Group
 Define their Worldview Unit

Ethnic Levels

Ethnic Clusters
Ethnic Groups (Ethnolinguistic)
Ethnic Segments
Describing a People Group
Define their Worldview Unit

We likely would consider each of the

groups in this example as separate
ethnicities.
Consider language, intermarriage,
other social relations,
and self-identity Describing a People Group
 Describing a
People Group
2 Steps
Define their Worldview Unit
Define their Segments

Describing a People Group

 Ethnic Groups And Segments

Ethnic Group Segments

Some smaller groupings will be

considered separate ethnic groups
Some will be considered segments of
ethnic groups
Describing a People Group
 Discover the Ethnic and Segment
Boundaries

Ethnic Group Segments

Primary groups and segment
determinations are a matter of
perspective.
What is your focus?
How specific and local is your communication
or development strategy?
Describing a People Group
 Discover the Ethnic and Segment
Boundaries

Ethnic Group Segments

Ethnicity or Segment -- Perspective
What kind of changes do you wish to result?
How deep in their worldview and personal
psyche are the decisions related to those
changes?

Describing a People Group

 Discover the Ethnic and Segment
Boundaries

Segments
Smaller groupings within the same ethnic entity
Geographic – Ethno-geography
Social (Role, status, circle of relationships)
Language, Education, Age

Describing a People Group

 Discover the Ethnic and Segment
Boundaries

Key
Factors:
By what name do individuals call themselves?
What does an individual say others in the
same people/tribe/clan call themselves?
Look for synonyms and sub-divisions.
What are they called by other peoples?

Describing a People Group

 Discover the Ethnic and Segment
Boundaries

Key
Factors:
What name in Western popular or academic
usage?
What other people are in the same group?
What languages do they speak?
What are their common characteristics?

Describing a People Group

 Describing a
People Group
2 Steps
Define their Worldview Unit
Define their Segments
Social considerations
(Affect communication and more specific
self-identity)

Describing a People Group

 Strata
(also called Social Segments)

Various Demographic Categories

applicable to any Ethnic Group and
cutting across them
Describing a People Group
 Strata (Social Segments)

Social (community groupings, activities)

Economic, Occupational
Recreational, Educational

Describing a People Group

 Strata (Social Segments)

Educational
By Educational activities
By Special educational needs
By Providing education
Describing a People Group
 Strata (Social Segments)

Lingual – Same language ~ different ethnicities

Native Language (mother tongue) or
Primary language (most used)
(Ex: ESL, Student Groups, Community services,
Literacy, Child Care, family services), Bible Studies
Describing a People Group
 Strata (Social Segments)

Lingual – Same language ~ different ethnicities

Second Language
(Ex: immigrant groups from different French-sphere
countries; internationals in European cities -- English,
Spanish, Arabic)
Describing a People Group
 Strata (Social Segments)

Common Language Activities

Immigration assistance
Translation services
Child tutoring
Legal assistance
International Church
Describing a People Group
 Describing a
People Group
2 Steps
Define their Worldview Unit
Define their Ethnic Segment
Considerations for Social
Segments

Describing a People Group

 Describing a
People Group
(Ethnic Group)

end

August 2005
Copyright © 2005 Orville Boyd Jenkins Describing a People Group