etic
ET-ik
/ˈɛtɪk/
Relating to or involving analysis of cultural phenomena from the perspective of an outside observer.
The 'outsider's' view. It uses universal, scientific categories to compare different cultures.
The story behind the word. Coined by Kenneth Pike in 1954 alongside 'emic'. He took the end of 'phonetic' (which refers to universal sounds found in all human speech) to describe a universal, objective way of looking at culture.
Word relationships
- outsider perspective: A more common, less technical way to say etic.
- emic: The insider's perspective, using internal categories.
Commonly confused with
- phonetic: Phonetic refers to universal sounds in all languages; etic is the broader cultural version of this concept.
Word family
- etically (adverb): From an outsider's perspective.
Collocations
- etic perspective
- etic account
- etic analysis
- etic approach
Example sentences
- "The etic approach is an outsider's view, using external, scientific categories to analyze a culture." Anthropological theory (Kenneth Pike, Language in Relation to a Unified Theory of the Structure of Human Behavior (1954))
- "From an etic perspective, the ritual can be seen as a way to manage social anxiety during the harvest." Comparative sociology
Memory hook
Etic has a 't' like 'them'—it's how 'them' (the scientists) see things. Etic: The 'Them' (Outsider) view.
When not to use
Do not use when you are trying to capture the emotional or spiritual meaning a ritual has for a participant.
Fun facts
- Most 'etic' accounts are written by researchers who have never actually lived in the culture they are analyzing.
Related words
Explore more words
observation, objectivity, bicultural, epistemic, analytical, multicultural
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