Foreigner is a term that refers to someone who is foreign.
With etymological origin in the Low Latin word foraneus , foreign is an adjective that refers to something foreign or foreign . The term can refer to a person, an object, a custom, etc.
For example: «According to analysts, the foreign vote will be very important in the next presidential elections» , «The foreign reinforcement of the Uruguayan club was the main figure of the party» , «The economy of our country needs foreign credit to be able to grow" .
Outsider in sport
In the field of sport , the idea of foreigner is usually used to refer to a player born in a country different from that of the tournament or championship in which he competes . Generally, teams can only have a certain number of foreign players: the rest of the squad must be made up of national players. That is why foreign reinforcements are sought capable of making a difference on the playing field thanks to their good level.
The Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro , to cite one case, began the 2017-2018 season of the Argentine National Basketball League with three foreign reinforcements: the American Dar Tucker , the Cuban Javier Justiz Ferrer and the Uruguayan Mathías Calfani . It should be noted that, in this edition of this competition , teams could have up to eight senior foreign players.
In basketball and other sports, a player who was born in a country other than that of the championship in which he competes is considered a foreigner.
Parties and food
In various countries , on the other hand, the celebration of foreign festivals is becoming common, which are becoming known thanks to globalization and the influence of the media. In this way, many South American nations currently celebrate Halloween , a foreign tradition that has no historical or cultural basis in the region.
Another area in which the use of this term takes place is food, given that globalization opens the doors to cultural fusion in a way that would have seemed impossible in the mid-20th century. In large cities, it is not uncommon to find foreign foods in supermarkets as part of basic products, something that can be enriching for exporters but detrimental for local producers.
Governments sign various agreements thanks to which they have access to these foreign foods at very convenient prices , and thus large market chains can offer their customers extremely tempting offers. However, in most cases these measures negatively affect local producers, since it is impossible for them to compete on price with international exporters. Although it may be hard to believe, it is often the government itself that hinders their activity by imposing abusive rates and other blockages.
Another practice that large companies use to expand their field of action and enrich themselves is the acquisition of foreign markets . Those with a fortune under their belt can easily buy several smaller companies from other parts of the world, gradually acquiring more importance internationally and improving their distribution routes. With their own manufacturing plants abroad, even shipping products is much cheaper since they do not have to pay for them.
Synonyms of foreign
Although in synonym dictionaries we do not usually find many words that can be used instead of foreigner beyond foreigner , there is a moderately long list of others that have a certain relationship, among which foreigner, alien, exotic and intruder stand out. .
The latter is perhaps the least suitable to replace it, but the fact that they are linked speaks of the connotation that foreignness can have for people: just as in the case of imported food products that harm local producers, several situations in which an external agent is introduced into a system can be considered negative, as if it were an "intrusion", although the agent itself is not to blame for such an effect.