Natifs

Natifs is a term used in French and some other Romance languages to refer to people or things considered native to a place or context. Etymologically derived from Latin nativus, it encompasses senses such as native-born individuals, native language speakers, or products and practices developed for a specific environment.

In ethnography and sociology, natifs can denote populations traditionally associated with a territory, often contrasted with immigrants or outsiders. While still found in some usage, many sources prefer terms like autochtones or peuples autochtones to avoid ambiguities or colonial overtones, emphasizing self-identification and historical continuity rather than simplistic dichotomies.

In linguistics, natifs commonly describes native speakers or those who acquired a language from early childhood. This contrasts with non-native or second-language speakers and supports discussions of language proficiency, pronunciation, and cultural competence.

In information technology and software, natifs commonly appears in the phrase "applications natives" or "logiciels natifs," referring to software designed to run directly on a particular operating system or hardware platform, using its native APIs. This is typically contrasted with web-based or cross-platform solutions.

The term natifs is also found in the concept of natifs numériques or digital natives, used to describe people who have grown up with digital technology. While influential in education and media discourse, this category is debated for overgeneralization and cultural variation across regions and generations.

Overall, natifs functions as a broad, context-dependent label whose precision depends on the field and the terminology preferred within it. See also native, autochtone, and indigenous peoples.