Nigerois is a coined term of French construction that is not actually a word in the French language,[1] but has had some use in English to refer to people from Niger, West Africa. The appropriate term for the latter (which is also a French word) is Nigerien (pl. Nigeriens).
The evident purpose of the term was to have a word form clearly distinguishable from that associated with the neighboring country of Nigeria, namely Nigerian.
Usage of the term Nigerois seems to be on the decline,[2] though it is still listed under "Niger" in Merriam-Webster[3] (but perhaps currently in no other dictionary[4])
- ^ It appears in neither the Larousse nor Le Robert French dictionaries.
- ^ A Google search in August 2009 yielded approximately 6000 hits. A search done on 8 March 2013 yielded less than 4500.
- ^ "Niger," Merriam Webster online. (Accessed 8 March 2013)
- ^ The Oxford English Dictionary does not list it, which is a pity as they would presumably have information about its first usage. One blogger in 2010 indicated he could not find "Nigerois" in any dictionary other than Merriam-Webster: “Nigerois”? Harry Campbell (blog), 20 February 2010. (Accessed 8 March 2013)