State Route 2003 in Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 13

The boondocks is an American expression from the Tagalog (Filipino) word ''bundók'' ("mountain"). It originally referred to a remote

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

area, but now, is often applied to an out-of-the-way area considered backward and unsophisticated by city-folk. It can also occasionally refer to a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in both Filipino and American context.

Origins

The expression was introduced to

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the Languages of the United States, most widely spoken lang ...

by U.S. military personnel fighting in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

(1899–1902). It derives from the Tagalog word "''bundók''",From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian ''*bunduk'' ("higher ground"), ultimately from Proto-Austronesian ''*bunduk'' ("higher ground") which means "

". According to

military historian Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians ...

Paul A. Kramer, the term originally had "connotations of bewilderment and

confusion In psychology, confusion is the quality or emotional state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion"

", due to the

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...

in which the soldiers were engaged. In the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, the word ''bundók'' is also a

colloquialism Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...

referring to rural inland areas, which are usually mountainous and difficult to access, as most major cities and settlements in the Philippines are located in lowlands or near the coastline. Equivalent terms include the Spanish-derived ''probinsiya'' ("province") and the Cebuano term ''bukid'' ("mountain").From Proto-Austronesian ''*bukij'' ("mountain", "forested inland mountain areas")"What A English" by Jon Joaquin.
/ref> When used generally, the term refers to a mountainous area with a connotation of being rustic or uncivilized. When referring to people ( or in Tagalog; in Cebuano; English: "someone who comes from the mountains/provinces"), it is sometimes used to connote a

stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...

of naive or boorish countryside dwellers.

Expanded meanings

The term evolved into American

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

to refer to ''the countryside'' or isolated rural/

wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...

area, regardless of

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

or vegetation. Similar slang or colloquial words are "the sticks", "the wops", "the backblocks", or " Woop Woop" in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, "the wop-wops" in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, " bundu" in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

(unrelated to "boondocks" or "bundok"), "out in the weeds" in

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

and "out in the tules" in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

"boonies" can be heard in films about the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

such as Brian De Palma's '' Casualties of War'' (1989) used by American soldiers to designate rural areas of

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Boondocking refers to camping with a recreational vehicle (RV) in a remote location without the electricity, water, or sewer infrastructure that is available at campgrounds or RV parks.

In popular culture

* " Down in the Boondocks", a hit song from the 1965 titular album by Billy Joe Royal * " Boondocks", a song by

Little Big Town Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has had the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman (née Roads), Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook. Fa ...

from their 2005 album '' The Road to Here''. * '' The Boondocks'', a comic strip and the adult animated sitcom adapted from it. * '' The Boondock Saints'', a 1999 American vigilante action thriller film written and directed by Troy Duffy * Boondox is the name of a neighbouring town in Animal Crossing: Wild World''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boondocks Pejorative terms Rural culture in the United States Rural geography Stereotypes of rural people Tagalog words and phrases

Origins

Expanded meanings

In popular culture

See also

Notes

References