The Orient is a term traditionally used in Western culture to refer to the Middle East (Southwest Asia and Egypt), South Asia and East Asia. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... Geographic East Asia. ...

Derivation

The term "Orient" is derived from the Latin word oriens meaning "east" (lit. "rising" < orior "rise"). The use of the word for "rising" to refer to the east (where the sun rises) has analogs from many languages: compare the terms "Levant" (< French levant "rising"), "Anatolia" (< Greek anatole), and "The Land of the Rising Sun" to refer to Japan. The Levant The Levant (IPA: /ləvænt/) is an imprecise geographical term historically referring to a large area in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. ... Anatolia and Europe Anatolia (Turkish: from Greek: Ανατολία - Anatolia) is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ...

The opposite term "Occident" is derived from the Latin word occidens meaning "west" (lit. "setting" < "occido" "fall/set"). This term was once used to describe the West (where the sun sets) but is slowly falling into disuse. Occident has a number of meanings. ...

Usage of term

Traditionally, the Orient referred primarily to the cultures and countries of what are now considered the Middle East. This particularly included regions that used to be known as Persia, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Egypt. As awareness of the countries of Eastern Asia grew in Western European and American consciousness in the late 19th century, the term came to refer to China, Japan, Korea, and surrounding nations; remnants of the older conception of the Orient still exist in the English language in such collocations as Oriental rug and Oriental harem. A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the old Persian homeland, and beyond in Western Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... Mesopotamia refers to the region now occupied by modern Iraq, and parts of eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and southwest Iran. ... Anatolia (Greek: &#945;&#957;&#945;&#964;&#959;&#955;&#951; anatole, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia which corresponds today to... Korea (Korean: 한국 in South Korea or 조선 in North Korea, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... An authentic oriental rug is a handmade carpet that is either knotted with pile or woven without pile. ... Coming from the Arab tradition, the harîm حريم (compare haram) is the part of the household forbidden to male strangers. ...

"Oriental" has been used by the West as a term to describe cultures, countries, peoples and goods from the Orient. Oriental is also used as an adjective akin to "eastern", especially in the Spanish-speaking world. For example, the Philippine island Mindoro is divided into two provinces whose titles include the words "oriental" and "occidental" respectively. The official name of Uruguay is the República Oriental del Uruguay or Oriental Republic of Uruguay because it is located to the east of the Rio de la Plata^[1]. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Beach in Northern Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. ... The term Rio de la Plata may refer to the following: Rio de la Plata, a river in the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico River Plate, an Estuary in South America This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

Perceptions and connotations

Although oriental is generally considered a neutral term in the United Kingdom, other parts of the Commonwealth and most of Europe,^{[citation needed]} there is some controversy regarding the connotations and implications of the term in North America. According to Abdurrahman R. Squires "politically correct terms have taken the place of the word 'Orientalism'". ^[2]

While a number of reference works used in the United States describe Oriental as pejorative, antiquated or offensive in some instances, the American Heritage Book of English Usage notes that

It is worth remembering, though, that Oriental is not an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. It is most objectionable in contemporary contexts and when used as a noun, as in "the appointment of an Oriental to head the commission". In these cases Asian (or a more specific term such as Vietnamese, Korean, or Asian American, if appropriate) is the only acceptable term. But in certain historical contexts, or when its exotic connotations are integral to the topic, Oriental remains a useful term.^[3]

Random House's Guide to Sensitive Language states "Other words (e.g., Oriental, colored) are outdated or inaccurate." This Guide to Sensitive Language suggests the use of "Asian or more specific designation such as Pacific Islander, Chinese American, [or] Korean." ^[4] Merriam-Webster describes the term as "sometimes offensive,"^[5] Encarta states that when the term is used as a noun it is considered " a highly offensive term for somebody from East Asia" ^[6] However, the same reference also defines the adjectival usage as "relating to East Asia (dated)" or "high quality".

Regional variations

Major objections to the use of the word "Oriental" to describe people are chiefly limited to North America. Its use is not controversial in Europe, where the word is neutral and in widespread usage^{[citation needed]}. In France the terms "l'Occident" and "l'Orient" are used without any negative associations in academic contexts. In Europe the term is often used to describe such things as the East's cuisine and goods, ancient culture, and religions, at times to denote an exotic quality with upmarket or mildly positive connotations. In the UK the term "Asian" has become almost exclusively tied to the Indian subcontinent, as evidenced through BBC Asian Network, a radio station of the BBC devoted to the British Asian community. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures, social structures and philosophical systems of the East, namely Asia (including China, India, Japan, and surrounding regions). ... This article deals primarily or exclusively with the definition of Asian in English-speaking countries, mainly referring to immigrants or descendants of immigrants living therein. ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... Asian Network logo BBC Asian Network studio at The Mailbox shopping centre, Birmingham. ... The term British Asian is used to denote a person of Southern Asian ancestry or origin, or sometimes Western Asian origin, who was born in or was an immigrant to the United Kingdom. ...

Those who believe the term is derogatory or archaic prefer to employ geographical terms for people and places typically described by oriental, e.g., South Asia, East Asia, and South-East Asia. Although Far Eastern is considered more politically correct than Oriental, East Asian is preferred because some believe it to be significantly less Eurocentric.^{[citation needed]} Other alternative terms include Asia and the Pacific or the Pacific Rim or the Pacific Basin.

With regard to the now antiquated sense of the Orient, referring to the wider Islamic region, the Orientalist Marshall Hogdson tried to introduce several terms^{[citation needed]}, including Nile-to-Oxus. None of these have stuck, however.

See also

• Orientalism
• Orientalizing Period of Archaic Greek art
• Asian
• Eastern world
• Western world
• Orient Express
• Politically Correct
• School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London

For Orientalist Architecture, see Moorish Revival. ... Proto-Attic loutrophoros In the later part of the 8th century BCE, and for about a century, the Geometric Style began to give way to a different sensibility informed by the art of Syria and Phoenicia, the Orientalizing Period. ... This article deals primarily or exclusively with the definition of Asian in English-speaking countries, mainly referring to immigrants or descendants of immigrants living therein. ... The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures, social structures and philosophical systems of the East, namely Asia (including China, India, Japan, and surrounding regions). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Poster advertising the Orient Express Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ... The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to SOAS, pronounced [səuæs] or [səuæz]) is one of the leading universities of the United Kingdom and is also a college of the University of London. ... The University of London is a university based primarily in London. ...

Notes

References and further reading

• The American Oriental Society
• The Oriental Instititute at University of Chicago
• On Asian and Oriental Model Minority posting by Alan Hu
• Banned Words For comparative analysis: a list "banned" words (including Oriental) as documented by Diane Ravitch.