[lit-ideas] Re: Are they synonymous?
- From: JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 17:17:41 EST
Portuguese has always troubled me ... It's supposed to be thoroughly
understandable by anyone who speaks Spanish -- I was fluent in Spanish for many
years. But I can understand Italian much more easily than Portuguese.
I guess my question was really, is the Hispanic/Latino a divide of language
or of culture?
Julie Krueger
way spent
========Original Message========
Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: Are they synonymous? Date: 1/27/2007 3:09:03 P.M.
Central Standard Time From: _andreas@xxxxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:andreas@xxxxxxxxxxx) To: _lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on:
> Latino, which is probably derived from the Spanish word for "Latin
American"...
This is pretty funny. "Probably"? In South America, people refer to their
culture as Latino.
But it's only a cultural label, for music and so on. The label doesn't mean
much else. There
is no "Latino food". Food is very different from Mexico to Colombia to
Brazil to Argentina.
"Hispanic" is the US Census name for the category. However, does that
include Blacks,
Japanese, and Chinese from South America?
According to the Census, Brazilians are not classified as Hispanic, because
they speak
Portugese, and Portugese is a European language. That really makes sense,
doesn't it? Your
bureaucrats at work.
I've never heard Mexicans refer to themselves as Hispanics. Latinos, yes,
but not Hispanic.
To me, it seems "Hispanic" is used by US whites as the generic term for
Mexican. But they
don't distinguish between Mexicans and Central Americans. Mexico is part of
North America.
Central Americans also vary widely. Guatemalans are very different from
Mexicans. I rarely
hear non-Latinos in California say "hispanic". They usually say "Mexican".
It also seems to me that most Americans know nothing about South America.
They have very
little idea of Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc., asides from a few
movie cliches.
yrs,
andreas
www.andreas.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Paul" <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2007 12:05 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Are they synonymous?
>> The usage of "hispanic" and "latino". Are they interchangeable where
you
>> are, everyone, anyone? Are there nuances to each, or ways in which they
are
>> used differently in your area?
>
> The American Heritage® Book of English Usage.
> A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English. 1996.
>
> 6. Names and Labels: Social, Racial, and Ethnic Terms
>
> § 36. Hispanic
>
> Hispanic and Latino are both widely used in American English as terms for
a person of
> Spanish-language heritage living in the United States. Though often used
interchangeably,
> they are not identical, and in certain contexts the choice between them
can be
> significant. Hispanic, from the Latin word for "Spain," is arguably the
broader term,
> 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. Latino, which is probably derived from the Spanish word for
"Latin American,"
> refers 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 you
cannot
> substitute Latino in the phrase the Hispanic influence on native Mexican
cultures without
> garbling the meaning.
>
> In practice, the geographic distinction between Hispanic and Latino is of
little
> significance when referring to residents of the United States, since the
great majority
> of people in this group are of Latin-American origin and can be denoted
by either word. A
> more important difference stems from the claim that Latino is a term of
ethnic pride in
> a way that Hispanic, with its perceived echo of Spanish imperialism, is
not. According to
> this view, Hispanic lacks the authenticity and flavor of Latino, which is
derived
> directly from Spanish and can change to Latina to indicate female gender.
A further
> objection to Hispanic is that it is the term most often used in formal or
official
> contexts-as on government applications or census forms-and as such bears
the stamp of an
> establishment that to some seems far removed from the community (or
communities) these
> words refer to.
>
> While these views are strongly held by many, they are by no means
universal, and the
> division is as much geographical as it is political. Latino is
overwhelmingly preferred
> in California whereas Hispanic is the clear choice in Florida as well as
in Texas and
> most of the Southwest (though in these regions Chicano is also widely
used). In other
> areas and in the national media, usage tends to be mixed. An outsider is
best advised to
> follow the prevailing custom wherever it can be determined, but you need
not worry in
> most situations about giving offense, since both terms remain current and
in many
> contexts continue to overlap.
>
> Note that Hispanic and Latino refer only to language and culture; neither
term should be
> thought of as specifying racial makeup. You should also keep in mind that
the growing
> Hispanic population of the United States is made up of people from many
different
> national and ethnic backgrounds who do not necessarily compose a single
unified
> community. Whenever possible you should consider substituting a term such
as Mexican
> American, Cuban American, or Puerto Rican for the broader Hispanic or
Latino.
>
> The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by
Houghton Mifflin
> Company. All rights reserved.
> ------------------------------------
> For what it's worth, 'local' usage, as determined by references in the
Oregonian seems to
> be that 'hispanic' is used when referring to government policies, etc.,
and 'latino'
> ('latina') a more self-applied term. Sometimes 'Mexican American' is
used, but this term
> is contentious insofar as many people (immigration hard-liners) believe
it to be an
> oxymoron.
>
> Robert Paul
> Reed College
>
>
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