In the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
, ''Outside'' refers to any non-Alaska location, most often referring to other
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
s. The term has been in use since at least the beginning of the 20th century and is believed to be an adaptation of a similar Canadian term used in the northern portion of that country and referring to southern Canada.
The expression is typically used in an adverbial phrase following some form of the word "go", but it is also used as a simple noun.
Examples would include,
* "Bob and Francis took their children on vacation Outside last year; they visited relatives in the
Midwest and the
Deep South."
* "When I met Ronald, he was the first white person I'd met who was fluent in
Yupik Yupik may refer to:
* Yupik peoples, a group of indigenous peoples of Alaska and the Russian Far East
* Yupik languages, a group of Eskimo-Aleut languages
Yupꞌik (with the apostrophe) may refer to:
* Yup'ik people
The Yup'ik or Yupiaq (sg ...
, so it came as a big surprise to learn that he was actually born Outside."
An early usage of the term is in ''Through the Yukon Gold Diggings'', by Josiah Spurr, published in Boston in 1900. Usage continues today, particularly in publications away from
Southcentral Alaska
Southcentral Alaska (russian: Юго-Центральная Аляска) is the portion of the U.S. state of Alaska consisting of the shorelines and uplands of the central Gulf of Alaska. Most of the population of the state lives in this reg ...
and
Anchorage. The inverse of the term ("Inside") is infrequently used.
See also
*
Lower 48
References
{{reflist, 2
Alaska culture
American English words
Localism (politics)