I have been re-reading The Godfather and it’s clear that “guinea” has similar connotations to an Italian (or maybe a Sicilian) that “nigger” does to a black person. Can anyone tell me why that is and what the derivation is please.
It’s literally just calling them African, which is insulting if you think being compared to an African is insulting.
Yep, exactly.
The term “Guinea Negro” originally referred to black slaves from Africa, and like many names it wasn’t necessarily accurate in that the Negro in question didn’t necessarily come from the Guinea region of Africa. In the 1800s, the term started to be applied to Italians and Hispanics as an insult to their darker skin, and the Negro part of the term was also dropped at some point to shorted the insult to just Guinea (or Ginney, as it has often been spelled). By the early 1900s the insult’s use against Hispanics waned, though it remained for Italians.
Guinea Fowl come from Africa, though again, not necessarily from the Guinea region of Africa. And Guinea Pigs aren’t from Guinea, aren’t even from Africa, and aren’t pigs. The first Guinea Pigs in Europe were imported from Africa, after being imported to Africa from South America, so that’s how they ended with the Guinea part of their name. How they came to be called Pigs is anyone’s guess.
New Guinea got its name because Spanish explorers thought that the natives there had a strong physical resemblance to those in the Guinea region of Africa.
Guinea is a country today (technically the Republic of Guinea) but the name Guinea in general refers to a much larger region of Africa than what is currently part of this country.
So all of these uses of Guinea, including the country name, all eventually refer back to the Guinea region of Africa.
Flavor, maybe? Weren’t they originally raised for food? Maybe they taste like pork.
I always assumed it was a Northern Italian insult used against Southern Italians and Sicilians because of the (correct AFAIK) belief that they are darker skinned due to the historical Moorish influence.
They do indeed. In fact they are my favorite rodent. (Paca is also very good, but I’m not crazy about squirrel, muskrat, or rat.)
It is speculative how they became called pigs. It could be because they are somewhat piglike in shape, or that they make grunting/oinking sounds.
That seems to have answered my question - thanks, folks. Although the meaning seems to have moved on from skin colour to something else.
On guinea pigs - we have small hedgehogs or hedge pigs in the UK. The name came about because it lives in hedgerows, has a pig-like snout and grunts. They are also eaten, but mostly by gipsies - you won’t find them in a butcher’s shop.
I’m going through the same book in audio form, and I wonder the same thing. Clearly the word was highly offensive when used by an outsider, as when Captain McClusky says he thought he had already locked up all you guinea hoods. But was the word used as an insult between Italians of different regions? I know for a fact that it wasn’t unusual for those of Northern Italian heritage to disdain southerners and, in particular, Sicilians.
I think so, although, like nigger, they used it among themselves. I also wondered if it had any effects today. I am aware that the Mafia never gets a mention these days in the media. They say “organised crime” instead.
I’ve never had a pet guinea pig, but from photos I’ve noticed they have these squat bodies and flat noses. More than actual pigs, they look like those small shiny metal piggy banks some of had when we were kids*.
*Do kids still have piggy banks? Back in the day, when it was finally full you had a nice little bit of money, especially for a kid; today it would have to be about the size of a gallon water jug to have the same significance, especially if you were just putting in your random change without excluding the pennies and nickels.
Obligatory reference: Pigs is pigs