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<blockquote data-quote="MGibster" data-source="post: 9544329" data-attributes="member: 4534">It's a word that's been around for about 400 years now.&nbsp; One out-of-date definition of race we don't use these days is &quot;a group of people sharing a common cultural, geographic, linguistic, or religious origin or background.&quot;&nbsp; At some point in our English speaking past, you could refer to the Welsh, English, Irish, and the French as all separate races.&nbsp; And while that might sound rather silly to us, given that race is a social construct, it's just as valid as any other definition.&nbsp; What's hilarious to me is the use of lineage in this context is much closer to the archaic definition of race but it has the advantage in that it doesn't carry the same connotation to our modern ears.&nbsp; Even species is fraught with problems.&nbsp; How do you define species?&nbsp; Morphology?&nbsp; DNA?&nbsp; Karyotype?&nbsp; (I had to look that last one up because it's been a long, long time since I took Biology 101.)&nbsp; The most common one we use is when two individuals of the appropriate sexes are able to produce an offspring who is also able to reproduce.&nbsp; Then there are species who are so closely related it's a wonder we think they're separate and distinct.&nbsp; If humans and elves can produce viable offspring are they really separate species?&nbsp; I would have to say no.&nbsp; So for now, species is acceptable.&nbsp; I suspect at some point in the future it too will be problematic and they'll search for a new word.&nbsp; That's okay.&nbsp; That's just how language evolves.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="MGibster, post: 9544329, member: 4534"] It's a word that's been around for about 400 years now. One out-of-date definition of race we don't use these days is "a group of people sharing a common cultural, geographic, linguistic, or religious origin or background." At some point in our English speaking past, you could refer to the Welsh, English, Irish, and the French as all separate races. And while that might sound rather silly to us, given that race is a social construct, it's just as valid as any other definition. What's hilarious to me is the use of lineage in this context is much closer to the archaic definition of race but it has the advantage in that it doesn't carry the same connotation to our modern ears. Even species is fraught with problems. How do you define species? Morphology? DNA? Karyotype? (I had to look that last one up because it's been a long, long time since I took Biology 101.) The most common one we use is when two individuals of the appropriate sexes are able to produce an offspring who is also able to reproduce. Then there are species who are so closely related it's a wonder we think they're separate and distinct. If humans and elves can produce viable offspring are they really separate species? I would have to say no. So for now, species is acceptable. I suspect at some point in the future it too will be problematic and they'll search for a new word. That's okay. That's just how language evolves. [/QUOTE]

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