Alphabetical Entries: I

chestnut. In 1999, the Crayola company changed the name to "chestnut," saying, "We've received feedback that some kids incorrectly believe this color name represents the skin color of Native Americans." The name originated from a pigment commonly found near India. "This is only the third time in Crayola history that we've changed a crayon color name," the company said. "In 1958, Prussian Blue was changed to Midnight Blue because teachers said students were no longer familiar with Prussian history. In 1962, Flesh was changed to Peach in recognition that everyone's skin is not the same shade."

sitting cross-legged.

although the origins of this term are negative ("Indian" was once used to indicate something sham or bogus, as in the "false summer" sometimes seen in the fall), today "Indian summer" is defined positively in terms of mild weather and tranquil days. How do American Indians see it? Anton Treuer, executive director of the American Indian Resource Center, says, "To me, it's kind of shades of gray, with what's appropriate and what's not. If you talk to a lot of native people about Indian summer, they'd probably say it's that period between Indian spring and Indian fall."

this term is pejorative only when it is used and meant to be so. Writer and activist Mary Brave Bird writes, "There is Indian time and white man's time. Indian time means never looking at the clock.... There is not even a word for time in our language." "From the edge of Indian time overlooking infinity, there is acute perception and perspective" (Pawnee/Otoe-Missouria writer Anna Lee Walters).

the World Council of Indigenous Peoples uses the following definition: "Indigenous peoples are such population groups as we are who from old-age time have inhabited the lands where we live, who are aware of having a character of our own, with social traditions and means of expression that are linked to the country inherited from our ancestors, with a language of our own, and having certain essential and unique characteristics which confer upon us the strong conviction of belonging to a people, who have an identity in ourselves and should be thus regarded by others." When writing or speaking about indigenous peoples, use the names they prefer for themselves rather than the broad "indigenous," which refers to only one part of who they are (connected to the lands that they occupied before their "discovery" by others). See also aborigine/aboriginal, American Indian, Bushman.

the peninsula of southeast Asia that includes Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea (Cambodia), Thailand, Burma, and the mainland territory of Malaysia is known as Indochina. The term also refers to the former French colonial empire, which included some, but not all, of the peninsula. To avoid confusion, you may want to use a more general term like "Southeast Asia" or name the specific countries you're discussing.

infantry/enlisted soldier, foot soldier, member of the infantry, soldier, infantry; as a last resort, infantryman and infantrywoman if used together. In 2016, the U.S. Marine Corps removed 19 job titles with "man." Most replaced "man" with "Marine," for example "basic infantry man" is now "basic infantry Marine." Others include "gunner" for "anti-tank missileman" and "field artillery operations chief" for "field artillery operations man." They retained "rifleman" and "mortar man." See also -man/men, rifleman.

this term is used for both men and women, although most often it modifies "couple" ("an infertile couple"). "Infertile" refers to the lack of offspring in people who have been having unprotected intercourse for a certain length of time. "Sterile" usually indicates that a cause for the infertility has been found. Infertile people are not necessarily sterile. Sterile people are always infertile. Infertility is often treatable; sterility generally is not (unless, for example, a tubal ligation or vasectomy can be reversed). Do not confuse "sterile" with "impotent" or "frigid." See also barren (referring to a woman), frigid (referring to a woman's sexual response), impotent, sterile.

literally "one without faith," "infidel" is an offensive word, especially when used for a Christian or Muslim. When used by a Muslim, it means "one who denies the blessings of God" and refers to all non-Muslims. However, because the term is considered derogatory and because the Koran commands its followers to use kind words, it is a punishable offense for Muslims to use "infidel" to denote a Jew or a Christian. In Roman Catholicism, it refers to someone who doesn't believe in the divinity of Jesus or one who has not been baptized.

in the sense of someone from another culture who works with an anthropologist, "informant" has been replaced by "consultant."

this well-established, narrowly defined role in the theater has no real male counterpart; "ingenu" is rarely seen. When using the term in its broader sense, consider novice, amateur, beginner, tyro, neophyte, newcomer, innocent.

inheritor. See also feminine word endings.

along with "honest Injun" (which disparagingly implies the opposite), this term is derogatory and unacceptable, even when used "good-naturedly."

inker.

examine closely the use of "inner city" to describe the economic, ethnic, and business diversity found in urban areas. "Urban" is used in the same way as "inner city," a code word for ethnic minorities and their problems, while "suburban" signals white, middle-class wholesomeness. See also underclass.

inner person/self/core, soul, heart, psyche, private self; appetite, stomach.

uninvolved bystander, bystander. This phrase implies that other victims are not innocent. See also victim.

civilians, bystanders, innocent civilians/bystanders. In accounts of bombings, terrorism, guerrilla warfare, and other atrocities, one often finds references to "innocent women and children," the implication being that men somehow deserve what happens. See also women and children.

mental illness/disorder, psychopathology. When discussing mental illness, use people-first language: someone who has schizophrenia, someone with bipolar disorder. "Insanity" is a legal term, not a medical one, and it is offensive and inexact. Never use "insane" metaphorically to mean chaotic, unreasonable, ridiculous, etc.; its negative connotations redound on those with mental illness. "Insane asylums" are psychiatric hospitals. See also mental illness.

a fine word, but too often used stereotypically of Asians and Asian Americans. This usage springs from an ignorance on the part of the labeler, that is, "If I don't know anything about you, you must be inscrutable."

accomplice, confederate, double/undercover agent, spy, insider; sometimes, inside job.

certain terms used by people within a group are derogatory and unacceptable when used by people outside that group. "Big Fag" is printed on a gay man's T-shirt; a stranger may not call him a big fag. A group of women talk about "going out with the girls"; coworkers should not refer to them as "girls." Cheris Kramarae points out that "it's important to note who uses which labels for what purposes. A term for an oppressed group might be homogenizing when used by the dominant group and unifying when used by the oppressed group" (Women and Language ). Another rationale behind "insider" terms is the attempt to claim and rehabilitate offensive terms, using them often and positively among insiders to strip them of their power to wound. In any case, Miss Manners (Judith Martin) has decreed that "people are allowed more leeway in what they call themselves than in what they call others." See also the section on naming in the Writing Guidelines.

inspector. See also feminine word endings.

see racism.

also known as rebels, freedom fighters, terrorists, and guerrilla fighters, insurgents are defined by a U.S. Department of Defense publication as part of "an organized movement aimed at the overthrow of a constituted government through use of subversion and armed conflict." An insurgency differs from a resistance in that an insurgency connotes an internal struggle against a standing, established government, whereas a resistance connotes a struggle against invading or occupying foreign forces and their collaborators. When used by a state or an authority under threat, "insurgency" implies an illegitimacy of cause upon those rising up, whereas those rising up will see the authority itself as being illegitimate. William Safire, in Safire's Political Dictionary, shows the imprecision of "insurgent": "in a positive sense, a political reformer trying to win control of a party; less positively, a rebel or revolutionary seeking to seize control of a government; pejoratively, a euphemism for a terrorist." Know your insurgent.