Do you say "race" or "species" or something else?

[~Theletos~]

For all the different Humans in my story, I use "Classes" but for the actual Fantasy Species, I use "Race".

 

[CupofJoe]

I tend to think in terms of Peoples.
Races and Species are too technical to my ear/eye.
I think using Peoples is a bit more ambiguous.

 

[Devor]

If the two groups can interbreed they're separate races, if they can't they're separate species. That simplifies biology a little, but I stick to it in worldbuilding. That is of course when we're referring to "races" such as dwarves, elves and gnomes.

For some reason seeing this again yesterday sent me down a rabbit hole.

Apparently the taxonomists have largely abandoned the word race in favor of ecotype, which is a step below subspecies. "The lions in this area tend to have darker manes" is an ecotype, and what we know about races in humans are said to be on that level.

 

[BiggusBeardus]

For some reason seeing this again yesterday sent me down a rabbit hole.

Apparently the taxonomists have largely abandoned the word race in favor of ecotype, which is a step below subspecies. "The lions in this area tend to have darker manes" is an ecotype, and what we know about races in humans are said to be on that level.

That's a new one!

 

[pmmg]

Well...Far be it from me to question scientists, but ecotype seems like a misfitting word to me. Eco kind of belongs to all the outside things that support them.

 

[Devor]

Well...Far be it from me to question scientists, but ecotype seems like a misfitting word to me. Eco kind of belongs to all the outside things that support them.

I think it's supposed to be more along the lines of a "type" of the species that's particular to this "eco-"system.