aboriginal
/ˌæb.əˈrɪdʒ.ən.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌæb.əˈrɪdʒ.ən.əl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌa-bə-ˈri-jə-nᵊl -ˈrij-nəl/ (ame, mw) · /ˌæbəˈrɪdʒənl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌæbəˈrɪdʒənl/ (ame, ipa)
aboriginal — noun
1. someone whose ancestors lived in a country long before settlers from other lands
someone whose ancestors lived in a country long before settlers from other lands came and took control of it.
The museum in Sydney has a quiet room where Aboriginals tell stories about their ancestors.
capitalised when referring to Australian indigenous peoples
Many Aboriginals in Taiwan still speak languages that older Mandarin teachers do not understand.
The new law promises to return some forest land to the Aboriginals of the northern islands.
Dr. Harper spent twelve years studying the songs of the Aboriginals living near the desert.
- indigenous person
more neutral and currently preferred in formal writing
- native
older and broader; can sound dated or offensive in some contexts
- first peoples
respectful collective term, common in Canada
用法筆記
Today many speakers prefer 'Aboriginal people' or 'Aboriginal person' over the bare noun, because the noun form can sound dated or impersonal. When referring to Australia specifically, the word is usually capitalised.
常見錯誤
aboriginal — adjective
1. describing the people, languages, customs, or art that belong to those who were
describing the people, languages, customs, or art that belong to those who were already living somewhere long before Europeans or other settlers came.
The gallery in Melbourne is showing Aboriginal paintings made from red and yellow earth.
common collocation: Aboriginal art / paintings
Anaya is learning an Aboriginal language that only thirty elders still speak fluently.
common collocation: Aboriginal language
The school invited an Aboriginal elder to teach the children old hunting songs.
Ranger Tom led the tourists past several Aboriginal rock carvings hidden in the cliff.
The new park protects sacred Aboriginal sites along the river bank.
- indigenous
broader and more current; preferred in journalism
- native
older usage; can be ambiguous or sound disrespectful
- first-nation
common in Canadian English for indigenous communities
文法句型
Aboriginal + noun (people, art, language, community)
用法筆記
Almost always capitalised when describing the indigenous peoples of Australia, who use it as a self-identifying term. With other groups, 'indigenous' is now more common in news writing and academic prose.
常見錯誤
2. describing a plant, animal, or thing that has lived or existed in a place since
describing a plant, animal, or thing that has lived or existed in a place since the very earliest period anyone knows about, with no earlier kind on record.
The dense forest still holds aboriginal ferns that grew here long before any farmers cleared the land.
formal register: aboriginal + plant/animal name
Scientists believe the small brown lizard is an aboriginal species of the volcanic island.
collocation: aboriginal species
Only a few aboriginal trees survived after farmers planted new orchards across the valley.
The old swamp shelters aboriginal frogs whose calls have not changed for thousands of years.
- indigenous
the everyday choice for native plants and animals
- native
shorter and more natural in conversation
- primeval
stresses very ancient, untouched nature
- introduced
brought into a place by humans from elsewhere
- non-native
neutral term for species not originally from a place
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense applies to plants, animals, or natural features rather than to peoples or cultures. In modern writing, 'native' or 'indigenous' is far more common; 'aboriginal' here sounds scientific or literary.