Guiri (pronounced [ˈɡiɾi]) is a colloquial Spanish word often used in Spain to refer to uncouth foreign tourists, particularly people from Great Britain. However, it can be applied to people from other foreign countries. Although somewhat pejorative, it is not always considered a slur by Spanish speakers.[1][2]
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According to the Real Academia Dictionary, this word can be traced back to 19th century Carlist Wars in the form "guiristino", the pronunciation of Basque-speaking Carlist forces of the name of their enemies, the Cristinos (after regent Queen María Cristina).[3] It entered the Diccionario de la lengua española de la Real Academia Española in 1925. When a "guiri" would be the term used by the opposing political parties of the time, later to be exclusively used for the Guardia Civil and Policía Armada (Armed Police) under the Francoist régime.[4]
There is another theory by Juan Goytisolo that guiri is a neologism from Caló, which itself derives from the Moroccan and Algerian Arabic gaouri (a word with a similar meaning applying to Europeans), which in turn stems from Ottoman Turkish gâvur.[5]
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References edit
- ^ "Moros, sudacas y guiris. Una forma de contemplar la diversidad humana en Barcelona".
- ^ Pellicer, Naiara Reig (26 August 2015). "¿Quiénes son los 'guiris'?". Cafébabel. Babel International. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016.
- ^ guiri at the Diccionario de la Real Academia Española
- ^ The Spanish Republic and the civil war 1931-39, by Gabriel Jackson, New Jersey, 1967
- ^ Pesquisas en la obra tardía de Juan Goytisolo, page 66, Volumen 33 de Foro hispánico, ISSN 0925-8620, Brigitte Adriaensen, Marco Kunz, Rodopi, 2009, ISBN 9042025476, ISBN 9789042025479. Quotes Estambul otomano, page 62, Juan Goytisolo, 1989, Barcelona, Planeta.