Is it 'Hispanic' or 'Latino'?

[devilgrrl]

You tell me.

[Revolucionario83]

1. Latino

At least thats what I prefer.

[Cuban_Liberal]

3. I'm neutral.

I use both.

[wryter2000]

2. Latino

I've only now learned that, and I'm sticking to Latino.

[signmike]

4. ¿Quién sabe?

Back in the late '50s in high school, southern Calif., there was a preference for "Chicano". The other day I saw a Mexican (Mexican American?) man wearing a T shirt that said;

Mexican
not Latino,
not Hispanic,
not Chicano,
Mexican

But there used to be a Mexican band around here called Las Espaldas Mojadas. (The Wet Backs)
go figure
do we speak English or American ?

[pk_du]

5. Apparently there is a difference.......was news to me.

Usage Note: Though often used interchangeably in American English, Hispanic and Latino are not identical terms, and in certain contexts the choice between them can be significant. Hispanic, from the Latin word for “Spain,” has the broader reference, potentially encompassing all Spanish-speaking peoples in both hemispheres and emphasizing the common denominator of language among communities that sometimes have little else in common. Latinowhich in Spanish means "Latin" but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word latinoamericanorefers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American origin. Of the two, only Hispanic can be used in referring to Spain and its history and culture; a native of Spain residing in the United States is a Hispanic, not a Latino, and one cannot substitute Latino in the phrase the Hispanic influence on native Mexican cultures without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is of little significance when referring to residents of the United States, most of whom are of Latin American origin and can theoretically be called by either word. ·A more important distinction concerns the sociopolitical rift that has opened between Latino and Hispanic in American usage. For a certain segment of the Spanish-speaking population, Latino is a term of ethnic pride and Hispanic a label that borders on the offensive. According to this view, Hispanic lacks the authenticity and cultural resonance of Latino, with its Spanish sound and its ability to show the feminine form Latina when used of women. Furthermore, Hispanicthe term used by the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agenciesis said to bear the stamp of an Anglo establishment far removed from the concerns of the Spanish-speaking community. While these views are strongly held by some, they are by no means universal, and the division in usage seems as related to geography as it is to politics, with Latino widely preferred in California and Hispanic the more usual term in Florida and Texas. Even in these regions, however, usage is often mixed, and it is not uncommon to find both terms used by the same writer or speaker.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=Hispanic

[baba]

18. True-different terms.

Not all Hispanics are Latino. My husband is of Spanish descent, so therefore he is Hispanic. Technically, he still qualifies as a minority because he is Hispanic, but he doesn't identify himself as such on job applications, etc.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

28. I didn't know Spaniards qualified as a minority.

That's interesting,because they have much of the same blood as Italians, Portuguese and southern Frenchmen, which aren't identified as minorities.

[sonicx]

37. They shouldn't, but the US lumps spanish speakers together as..

"Hispanic" even tho many are white.

[melnjones]

59. Hispanic only means Spanish speaking

It technically has nothing to do with race or ethnicity, which creates all of the confusion you see on this thread.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

6. It depends....

Latino includes Brazilians, who are not Hispanic.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

7. The Brazilians I know

do not like to be referred as Latinos, because to them it means speaking a form of Spanish which, of course, the Brazilians do not speak...

[Cuban_Liberal]

8. Actualy, Portugese IS Spanish.

It's simply a very old dialect, the Spanish equivalent of Elizabethan English.

[HamdenRice]

13. Ohhhh maaannnn -- are you lucky there are no Brazilians listening!!!

I don't think they would like it if you said Portuguese is Spanish and they would give you a stern talking to -- if not the OK sign!

But seriously, by that logic, Spanish is just a dialect of Latin or Italian, right?

Why is Portuguese the old dialect? Wouldn't they both have evolved from a common ancestor? And is it correct to make the same generalization about Portuguese from Portugal as Brazilian Portuguese?

[Cuban_Liberal]

15. Geographical separation

It's somewhat akin to how different English dialects develop/survive in certain areas of Appalachia.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

20. Geographical separation is one factor had to do with how...

the languages evolved differently from Vulgar Latin. Portuguese did not evolve from the Spanish language. Believe me...I've studied it.

[Cuban_Liberal]

22. So have I.

Both developed from Vulgar Latin, following the Roman conquest of the peninsula. The split occured in the late 12th Century.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

25. But again, Portuguese did not evolve from Spanish...

nor is it a dialect of Spanish.

What I find fascinating is the evolution of Catalan. Have you had the opportunity to examine it?

[HamdenRice]

41. So what IS the story??

I speak both Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, but I am not a linguist. Could you explain a little about how they evolved?

BTW, when I was in Europe, I met Portuguese people from Portugal and could not understand a word of what they were saying. Isn't it the case that Brazilian Portuguese has experienced a re-convergence with Spanish in Latin American, because of geographical proximity? In other words, isn't Brazilian Portuguese more like Latin American Spanish than Portuguese from Portugal is like Spanish from Spain?

[Ann Arbor Dem]

52. Here is a little information for you....

This site explains the evolution of the Portuguese language much more succintly than I can.

http://www.linguaportuguesa.ufrn.br/english.html

For me, it's the accent of the Portuguese that's hard to understand. When I'm in Brazil, I sometimes watch the Portuguese soap operas just to hear it. I'm better able to understand it now than a few years ago.

I don't know much about the evolution of Spanish in Latin America, but it's probably more akin to the evolution to the Brazilian Portuguese due to the influences of the natives (Tupi, etc.) and the African languages of the slaves.

I don't think there is really a re-convergence between Portuguese and Spanish in Latin America except for the border areas. One thing, though, is that Spanish is being taught in Brazilian schools more than ever before. It used to be that French and English were the predominant foreign languages taught at the high school level.

[melnjones]

58. And then, there's the difference between North and South Brazil...

I'm learning more northeastern...my friend who is helping me learn was a missionary near Natal in northeast Brazil for four years. Plus, I think it sounds more like Spanish, although it'll probably make me sound uneducated if I ever travel to southern brazil. Oh well.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

63. I first learned to speak Portuguese in the Recife, in the northeast...

You won't sound uneducated...you'll just sound like you are from the NE. I hope you have a chance to spend time in Natal and the surrounding area sometime. It's abolutely stunning!

Now when I speak, I have a mixture of 3 Brazilian accents: recifense (from the city of Recife in the NE), paulistano (from the city of Sao Paulo, where I studied at the University of Sao Paulo), and carioca (from Rio, where I spend most of my time in Brazil these days).

Good luck with learning Portuguese!!

[Withywindle]

42. How about a half-Brazilian?

:hi:


The division between languages happened so long ago it's like saying that French IS Italian. There are five Romance languages, all derived from Latin: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. Like you said. And Brazilian Portuguese vs. Continental Portuguese is like--American English versus British English. Or Mexican Spanish vs. Continental Spanish. Separated by a common language and all that.


Anyway, "Latino/a" is technically accurate because of that Latin root, but of course in the US it means more than just what language you speak.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

16. It's not...

I could go into a long discourse about the lingustic evolution of the Iberian Peninsula, but it would be boring except to weirdos like me. ;)

Years ago I took a medieval Portuguese class, and although it was probably the most difficult course I ever took, it was amazing. We did look at some texts in medieval Spanish as a comparison. Very different then as now.

[Dorian Gray]

17. And, me, Ann Arbor....

I love language and dialect discussions! :) Various languages fascinate me, and the Romance Languages/Dialect discussion also does. I would love to hear what you have to say about it!

[Ann Arbor Dem]

23. Another weirdo!

:P

Historical linguistics is great way to learn about the history (cultural, political, etc.) about a country or an area. It made the learning about the conquerers (Ostrogoths, Visigoths, etc.) more interesting and alive to me than a regular history class.

Here is a simple, but decent, overview of Romance Languages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_languages

[melnjones]

57. I speak Spanish and am learning Portuguese...

There are similarities, but I think Italian is closer to Spanish than Portuguese, especially in sound. Portuguese has too much "French" in it. I think they're too different to just be dialects.

[Ann Arbor Dem]

14. Interesting....

The Brazilians I know living in the States think the opposite in a sense. First and foremost, they refer to themselves as Brazilian. But they embrace the term latino when it comes to the fact that they are from Latin America because it is inclusive of all countries in Latin America, not just the Spanish-speaking ones. To them, latino doesn't have anything to do with Spanish. Now, if you call a Brazilian hispanic....watch out! LOL

Heck, many Americans don't even realize that Portuguese is spoken in Brazil.

Edit: bad spelling...

[Withywindle]

43. Heee.

My mom used that little bit of ignorance to get a job teaching Spanish here, even as she was learning it! (She speaks it fluently now--but it's her third language. She just let them keep thinking it was her first).

She doesn't mind being called Latina at all. (Hispanic, no.) Although it was a bit of a shock to her to be considered "ethnic"--with her light tan complexion, she's considered "white" in her hometown, Salvador, which is very African culturally and people tend to be darker on average than in, say, Sao Paulo. Race is relative, ya know. She's not "white" here, though.

[David__77]

9. Of those I know, Latino.

"Hispanic" is more white-specific, so it seems. "Latino" encompasses mestizos and others.

[AP]

10. Hispanic and Latino are two different signifiers...

HISPANIC derives from the mostly white Iberian Peninsula that includes Spain and Portugal (Spain and Portugal are located in Europe).

LATINO derives from the brown indigenous people of the Americas (Mexico, Central America, and South America). Mexico and most nations in Central and South Americas speak Spanish because they were once colonies of Spain.

...

        The term Latino has, however, begun to be recognized by many people in the U.S. due to the large number of immigrants from Latin America currently living in the U.S.. It is worth noting that immigration from Latin America has considerably increased since 1980. Latin America consists of Mexico, Cuba, the Central American nations, and the South American nations.


        The terms, Hispanic and Latino, have been used interchangeably for several years, but there are many immigrants from Mexico and Central American nations who resent the interchangeable use of the terms. Meanwhile, the Hispanic community and the Latino community together represent a diverse group of individuals who share many things in common such as language, religion, and customs.

http://www.joblatino.com/terms.html

[unblock]

11. as an "anglo", i'm very confused.

i've heard the terms interchangeably, but i've also heard various sources insist many variants.

e.g., some consider central americans to be hispanic but not latino, yet puerto ricans and cubans seem always to be considered latino.

the u.s. government uses the term hispanic to mean anyone whos heritage is from a spanish-speaking country. this would therefore exclude brazil, where portuguese is spoken.

to further complicate matters, the term "latin" is also used, and, at least in europe, refers speakers of ALL latin languages, which would include french, spanish, and portuguese.


apparently, i look somewhat spanish, despite having zero spanish/mediterranean ancestry. i've been called all these terms by people who didn't know me.

[sophie996]

24. you're not alone!

there's a lot of weirdness around this issue, and a lot of misunderstanding. some say latino refers to all who speak some descendant of latin. that would include the french, italians and portuguese. and, since english includes words derived from latin (as well as german, anglo-saxon, greek) that's a very broad area.

some use it to designate those in/from/descended from all those nations south of the u.s. on the north american continent. but of course, some of those folks are descended from the indians who intermarried with the few suriving irish soldiers who deserted from the u.s. army in the late 19th century u.s.-mexican war. are they hispanic? or irdians?

then there's that word indian. wrong from the start.

american? ditto.

my native friends, whose people have been on this continent for thousands of years, scoff at being called "american indians."

the good thing about this confusion and discussion is we're questioning, and rethinking what labels mean.

:grouphug:

[Piperay]

53. Same here

and I really don't want to use the wrong term with someone and inadvertently insult them. :-(

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[jmowreader]

19. It all depends on the person

Two ethnicities give me fits: Iberians and Africans.

At my end of the building I've got four Iberians. One is a Hispanic, one a Latino, one a Latina (Spanish is a gendered language; a Latina is an Iberian woman) and one is "I'm a New Yorker, man, call me Emmy!"

I also have some Africans. Some are African-Americans, one is a Negro, one is a "woman of color," the one we got from the Fort Bragg boxing team says he's a "nigga" but I ain't callin' him that...one man says he's an "African from Nairobi" but it's kinda removed since the last six generations of his family have all lived in Spivey's Corner.

The "dumb white boy from Idaho where they have 17 blacks and three Mexicans" act works pretty well sometimes, like when you ask someone what ethnicity they are.

[scarlet_owl]

21. You can call me either one, but I think "Latino" is the preferred

choice.

[David Zephyr]

26. I think I'm qualified to answer this & thanks for the question, devilgrrl

I have long preferred and used the more endearing term Latino.

I am Anglo, yet feel part Latino because I have spent such a great part of my life living in --- not just touring or visiting --- Latin America. I lived for many years in Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Guatemala, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica. Much of my primary schooling as a young boy was in Latin America.

I speak, read and write Spanish equally as I do English. We speak both Spanish and English in my home mixing them in conversation.

My life companion of over thirty years is South American.

We have used the endearing term Latino just as we use Anglo throughout our lives while knowing that there is no perfect label for any human being.

The term Hispanic is rarely, if ever, used by foreigners, not just Americans, living in Latin America. Still, the term Hispanic has been used here in the U.S. in government documents, official forms, census questionnaires and such which has caused some of the confusion. The term rings cold and sterile.

Of course, not every Spanish speaking person will consider themselves Latino either, but my life experience is that it is more endearing and more inclusive.

As one poster correctly points out many Brazilians do not like being referred to as Latinos while others have no problem with it at all. But the term Hispanic could certainly never possibly apply to them at all.

Chicano is a more narrow term used by some Mexican Americans and I also use this term, but it would never apply to someone who hails from Central America, South America or the Caribbean.

Finally, Spaniards and the Portuguese are Europeans and would never be called Latin Americans.

This is my two cents.

[Lisa0825]

31. Great explanation!:-)

Being in Texas, Latino Pride is a big deal. I only use Hispanic for the most part when I am either unsure of the country or origin, or may be including Europeans as well.

[David Zephyr]

32. Gracia. Encantado de conocerle, Lisa0825.

Thanks.

Hey, I see from your profile that you are in the Texas City area! That's Janis Joplin country. I grew up on and off in the Houston area myself as my dad was a petroleum engineer which is one of the reasons I spent so many years in Latin America.

[Lisa0825]

62. Hola! Mucho gusto!

Yes, I live in TC and work in Galveston. It's not bad here, but I adore Mexico, and my dream is to live there.... even if only for a couple years.

I listen to Mega 100 "Latino and Proud" (which used to be Rock 101 KLOL) and K-LOVE all the time to practice my spanish comprehension. I have had a couple of Mexican boyfriends too, and some close Puerto Rican friends, so I learned a lot about Latino cultures from them. The ONE friend I have of Spanish origin gets REALLY pissed because everyone thinks she's Mexican, since that's the vast majority of Hispanics around here. I guess I can understand that somewhat, but I often wonder if her anger has more to do with the history of prejudice between those of Spanish descent vs Indian or mixed heritage.

[devilgrrl]

55. Hey David!

:hi:

[musiclawyer]

27. Akin to calling an Asian "Oriental"

i.e., calling a Latino Hispanic. Latino is not offensive, except to a Brazilian, who you'd be calling Brazilian anyway. I take offense to Hispanic, to the extent used non-academically by people who did not grow up in a house where Spanish was spoken. Just don't use Hispanic, unless your going to do it with precision, and you'd be doing us a great favor

[GRLMGC]

29. I honestly don't care

I've used both and don't get offended when someone refers to me as either. Now when someone knows I'm Salvadoran and still insists on saying I'm Mexican, then that's another issue.

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. Latinos prefer latinos, but when I'm speaking to a predominately

anglo or non-latino crowd, I say Hispanic.

[Gay Ranger]

33. In Texas..

It is usually just Mexican. Though Mexican women are usually just called "chicas."

[maveric]

34. What about "Chicano"?

There's a park with that name here in San Diego.

[knight_of_the_star]

47. Good question

We have a Chicano Studies class at my community college.

[tishaLA]

51. "Chicano" refers specifically to Mexican-American identity

and the linguistic, cultural, etc. "mestizo"-ness that develops as a result of participating in two different cultures.

[rene moon]

35. Latino

Hispanic is a generic term the US gov uses to lump all of us Latinos together. if you want to get technical, I'm Mexican-American.

[imax2268]

36. Hispanic, Latino...

I don't care...I will say this...Hispanic/Latino Women are some of the hottest women I have ever seen...!!!

[Jack_DeLeon]

38. I prefer Hispanic...

that being said I more specifically I prefer Mexican-American when refering to myself because thats what I am.

[MsTryska]

39. being a New Yorker,

i've always just said "Spanish".

[sonicx]

40. What I'm curious about is...do Spaniards in the US usually call themselves

"White" or "Hispanic"?

[legalcoffee]

44. Spanaird

However I do not speak Spanish. My family is originally from Spain & we all speak primarily English. Somewhere it wasn't nurtured and therefore it is now nonexistent. That doesn't however change my ethnicity. Drives me up the wall and around the corner when the general public assumes I've got roots in Mexico just because I look the look. I have not yet seen a Spanish checkbox on surveys nor have I seen Greek, German, and Scottish and so on. Although I can't just put a checkmark in Caucasian box because I only speak English. Darn those little check boxes.

[GRLMGC]

46. Spaniards are European

I think you can check Caucasian, not that it matters. I'm surprised you get mistaken for Mexican. I get mistaken for Mexican and I'm from Central America so you can imagine how annoying that is.

[sonicx]

49. Antonio Banderas is from Spain, but has played a Mexican in...

some of Robert Rodriguez's movies. There was also some controversy over "Spanglish" cuz the movie's Mexican character was played by a Spanish woman.

The US likes to lump them all together for some reason.

[GRLMGC]

50. I guess I'm more sensitive to it

I see Spaniards as well, white. .

[Samurai_Writer]

45. Latina...

Or could be chicana. I'm reminded of that line from 187 where Samuel L. Jackson says,

Not everything happens to you because you're latina.

The girl's response:

Hey. I'm CHICANA, OK?

Peace,
Bella, who is neither but gets mistaken for hispanic, latina, chicana, etc. ALL THE TIME. Buenos dias, mi amigos y amigas.

[MisterP]

48. Bush said "Hispano" once

[hunter]

54. They are both code words for "Not White."

Being "not-white" often confuses people who think of themselves as "white."

[ceile]

56. Hispanic-Spanish decent-colonies, Latino-

from Latin America.
Dominicans are Hispanic, but not Latino, etc.

[Cleita]

60. I always referred to myself as of Chilean heritage or.

often even more vaguely as being South American. Since Spanish is only part of my ancestry, it would seem disingenuous to call myself either Latina or Hispanic. However, for the sake of labelling myself in my later years, I have called myself either Latina or Hispanic just to differentiate myself from northern European types, however, half of me on my father's side is Dutch, German, Scots and Irish.

[melnjones]

61. This is why I use the word hispanohablante

-spanish speaking-
Spanish has a word for it, but we don't. It's a shame.

[Deja Q]

64. We're all human. And it's on a case by case basis, as you've just said

that there are multiple possible labels. I wouldn't want to use one blindly...

[UTUSN]

65. Hispanic. Mexican-AMERICAN. "Chicano" Not Accepted by Grandmothers

"Mexican" means a citizen-of-MEXICO, not somebody in the U.S. "Anglo" means nearly "racist". Hispanic/Mexican-American/Latino = WHITE, as in Caucasian. Native-American = Aztec/Maya/Inca-etc.

[melnjones]

66. Languages group idea,

go here http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=105