Definition

1. Noun (less common / archaic):
   • Alien race: Refers to a people or civilization that is fundamentally different and foreign, often from another world or planet.
   • Different ethnic group: In an archaic or literary context, it can denote a human ethnic group perceived as radically different or "other."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trong truyện khoa học viễn tưởng, các dị tộc đến từ ngân hà khác. (In the science fiction story, the alien races come from another galaxy.)
  • Vùng đất xa xôi ấy được cho là nơi cư ngụ của một dị tộc bí ẩn. (That distant land was said to be inhabited by a mysterious, different people.)

Advanced Usage

• The term "dị tộc" carries a strong connotation of otherness and separation. It is not a neutral term like "chủng tộc" (race) or "dân tộc" (ethnicity/nation). Its use often implies a sense of strangeness, exoticism, or even potential hostility towards the group being described. In modern Vietnamese, it is considered an uncommon and somewhat archaic term.

Variants and Related Words

• Người ngoài hành tinh (n): Alien, extraterrestrial. This is the modern, neutral, and more common term for beings from outer space.
  • Anh ta tin rằng người ngoài hành tinh là có thật. (He believes aliens are real.)
• Chủng tộc (n): Race (of humans or beings).
• Dân tộc (n): Ethnic group, nation, people.

Synonyms

• Alien race
• Foreign people (archaic)
• Different race

Notes on Usage

• "Dị tộc" is rarely used in contemporary everyday language. Its primary modern application is in literary or speculative fiction genres (e.g., science fiction, fantasy) to describe non-human races or civilizations.
• Due to its archaic and potentially pejorative nuance of "otherness," it is generally avoided in formal, academic, or sociological discussions about human ethnic groups. The preferred terms are "dân tộc" or "sắc tộc."

1. (ít dùng) Alien race, alien ethnic group