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"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. ''Latino''—which in Spanish means "Latin" but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word ''latinoamericano''—refers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American |
"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. ''Latino''—which in Spanish means "Latin" but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word ''latinoamericano''—refers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American. 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 (in this sense native Mexican cultures would refer to the pre-coulumbus Native Indian populations or Amerindians.)'' without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is (in this author's opinion)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."<ref name= "AmerHer" >{{cite web |
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| url = http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Hispanic |
| url = http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Hispanic |
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| title = American Heritage Dictionary |
| title = American Heritage Dictionary |
Revision as of 07:49, 11 January 2008
Part of a series on |
Hispanic and Latino Americans |
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The demonym Latino, along with its feminine Latina, sometimes used as well, are variously defined in English language dictionaries as:[1][2][3]
- "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent"
- "a Latin American"
- "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States"
- "Latin inhabitant of the United States"
- "a usually Spanish-speaking person of Latin American birth or descent who lives in the U.S."
The two words originate in American Spanish latino and latina (from Latin Latinus, Latina), either meaning "Latin", or possibly a clipped form of latinoamericano, "Latin American".[1]
In the United States, the term is in official use in the ethnonym Hispanic or Latino, defined as "a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race."[4]
Usage in the United States
The term Latino was officially adopted in 1997 by the United States Government in the ethnonym Hispanic or Latino, which replaced the single term "Hispanic".[5] U.S. official use of the term Hispanic has its origins in the 1970 census. The Census Bureau attempted to identify all Hispanics by use of the following criteria in sampled sets:[6]
- Spanish speakers and persons belonging to a household where Spanish was spoken
- Persons with Spanish heritage by birth location
- Persons who self-identify with Spanish ancestry or descent
Authorities of American English maintain a distinction between the terms Hispanic and Latino:
"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. Latino—which in Spanish means "Latin" but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word latinoamericano—refers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American. 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 (in this sense native Mexican cultures would refer to the pre-coulumbus Native Indian populations or Amerindians.) without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is (in this author's opinion)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."[7]
Neither term refers to a race, as a person of Latino or Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race.[8][4]
Although as officially defined in the United States, Latino does not explicitly include Brazilian Americans, and specifically refers to "Spanish culture or origin",[5][4] some of the dictionary definitions that equate the term with Latin American or with 'U.S. persons of Latin American descent' may also include Brazilians and/or Brazilian Americans. Furthermore, the Census form's Spanish/Hispanic/Latino Origin question[9] indicates the largest Hispanic or Latino groups of the U.S., and following these, a blank entry space is provided where respondents can fill in other Latino groups; presumably, Brazilian Americans can self-identify as being of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity — as can anyone with no Latin American background, however.
Besides Hispanic, Latino is sometimes used interchangeably with the terms Latin (e.g. "Latin jazz", "Latin Cuisine",[10] "Latin music", "Latin Grammy Awards") and Latin American, especially in popular speech.[11]
As a demonym, Latin is defined as:[12][13]
- a native or inhabitant of Latium; an ancient Roman
- a member of any of the Latin peoples, or those speaking chiefly Romance languages, esp. a native of or émigré from Latin America
- a member of the Latin Church; a Roman Catholic, as distinguished from a member of the Greek Church
- a Latino or Latina
- see also Latin peoples (linguistic)
Latin American is defined as:[14][15]
- related to Latin America
- a native or inhabitant of Latin America
- a person of Latin-American descent
The Countries of Latin Europe and Latin America |
Controversy
The term Latino is rejected by some, for various reasons. It is rejected by some indigenists who state that Native American 'Latinos' are disappropriated from their Native American origins and histories by the application of what they consider a "racist", "Eurocentric" term[16] that improperly associates people of different races, i.e. associating both the Spanish colonizers and the indigenous inhabitants, especially the descendants of both groups, as the same ethnic group.[17][18]
Many U.S. hospitals and health centers also use the term Latino/Hispanic incorrectly as if it were a race.[citation needed] In cases where a particular race may be more prone to particular medical conditions or diseases, using only the generic terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" causes confusion and can be costly, as it does not identify the Latinos at risk, thus putting some of them in danger: The affected Latinos may not seek medical help as soon as they would if they were identified by race.[citation needed] Many consider this a disservice and negligent. Given that Hispanics and Latinos can be of any race — White, Black, American Indian, Asian, or multiracial; just as the non-Latino population — important medical studies should indicate the race of any Latinos used to measure susceptibility to particular diseases.[citation needed]
In other languages
Latino (feminine Latina) in the Romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, literally means "Latin", a person from the Lazio (ancient name: Latium) region in Italy and most notably, someone of ancient Italy's capital, Rome,[citation needed] as well as a member of any of the modern European Romance-speaking nations or peoples, and Romance-speaking nations or peoples of the Americas. The dictionary of the Real Academia Española defines ten meanings for Latino.[19] Spaniards and other Europeans with Latin heritage, such as Italians, Romanians, French, and Portuguese, view themselves as Latins, as do Latin Americans with any of these European heritages. In Spanish, latino, just like any other gentilic, is by convention not capitalized.
See also
- Boricua
- Casta
- Chicano
- Criollo
- Hispanic
- Hispanic America
- Ibero-America
- Indio
- Isleños
- Ladino
- Latin America
- Latin American British
- Latino Canadian
- Latino Australian
- Latins
- Mexican American
- Race and ethnicity in the United States Census
- Racial demographics of the United States
- Tejano
- White Latin American
References
- ^ a b Dictionary.com
- ^ Merriam-Webster Online
- ^ YourDictionary
- ^ a b c United States Census Bureau (March 2001). "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ^ a b "Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity". Retrieved 2007-03-18.
... OMB has decided that the term should be "Hispanic or Latino." Because regional usage of the terms differs -- Hispanic is commonly used in the eastern portion of the United States, whereas Latino is commonly used in the western portion -- this change may contribute to improved response rates.
- ^
Gibson, Campbell (2002). "Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States". Working Paper Series No. 56. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (help) - ^ "American Heritage Dictionary". Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau Guidance on the Presentation and Comparison of Race and Hispanic Origin Data". Retrieved 2007-03-18.
Race and Hispanic origin are two separate concepts in the federal statistical system. People who are Hispanic may be of any race. People in each race group may be either Hispanic or Not Hispanic. Each person has two attributes, their race (or races) and whether or not they are Hispanic.
{{cite web}}
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at position 87 (help) - ^ U.S. Census form U.S. Census Bureau. See question 7
- ^ http://www.mccormick.com/content.cfm?id=10104
- ^
Oboler, Suzanne. Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re) Presentation.
{{cite book}}
:|access-date=
requires|url=
(help) - ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/latin
- ^ "Latino (definition)". Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (login required). Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/latin%20american Dictionary.com
- ^ http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/latin%20american Merriam Webster
- ^ "Mexica Movement". Mexica Movement. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ^ .Tezcatlipoca, Olin (2003-08-13). "The Crimes of Hispanic and Latino Racist Labels: Everything You Need To Know About The Racism Of Hispanic And Latino Labels as Applied to People of Mexican and "Central American" Descent". Retrieved 2007-03-18.
- ^ "The Taino People: A Jatibonicu' Taino History in Puerto Rico & New Jersey". indigenouspeople.net. June 8, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ^ http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?LEMA=latino
Bibliography
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, 4 vls, Oxford University Press 2006, ISBN 0195156005
External links
- Latin Union
- Ballare Latino Portal community about Latin music
- Latino History
- Mexica Movement Indigenous rights and education organization
- PBS 'A Cultural Identity' Examines the creation of the Hispanic label by Richard Nixon.
- Latino USA The Radio Journal of Latino news and Culture.
- Soy-latino.de Latin Community People in Germany.
- Latino Issues Forum Nonprofit Public Policy and Advocacy Institute
- Latino Sports Legends
- Latin America Network Information Center
- What's In A Name?
- Latin Dictionary and Grammar
- Latinomigrante.com: Latino Community Portal in US,Canada
- National Young Lords
- Latino Cultural Heritage Digital Archives
- Racial Classifications in Latin America
- PoliticosLatinos.com Information about significant US Latino/Hispanic politicians, and links to bios and official Websites and other important information.
- Dia De La Mujer Latina Hispanic or Latino?