what is the difference between latino and espanol/spanish?

Question

i hv seen the two words being taken as synonums too ofetn?

is it like that...or there iz some differnce between spanish n latin?

Answer 1

Latino is geographic and refers to someone from Latin American. Not all Latin Americans speak Spanish, in Brazil for example, Portuguese is spoken.

Español actually means: "Spaniard" and identifies someone from Spain who may or not speak Spanish. Although we say it all the time, there is no such language as "Spanish." That would be like saying that in America we speak "Americaneese." No such language; it is English. And in Spain several languages other than Castellano (Spanish) are spoken. So "Spanish" should never be used when referring to someone who speaks Spanish.

Although used synonymously, really and truly Latino/Spanish are not synonymous. A lot of people world-wide speak Spanish. I don't know any nationality that still speaks "Latin" as their native language. People who come from a nation where Spanish is spoken should more correctly be called: "Hispanic." Latinos are from Latin America and Spaniards are European.

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Answer 2

The word "Español" means a thing or person that is Spanish, for example, "a Spanish dog" is "un perro Español" (they change the adjective and the noun round in most other European languages). The word Español, said in Latin America, also refers to the Spanish language (el Español= Spanish), whereas the word that refers to the language Spanish, spoken in Spain, is Castellano.
The word "Latino" is just a way of refering to someone who is from Latin America.

Answer 3

In what terms ?? As far as language is concerned, the language is considered Spanish/español. The term Latino is used in reference to race such as Hispanic/Latino. If someone uses the term Latino for language, they are sadly mis-spoken or maybe just thinking of Latin which is an old world language from which our current languages are derived. Hope I have been of some help to you.

Answer 4

Latino refers to a geographical region of origin, that is Latin American (anywhere south of the US border). Espanol/Spanish is a language that most--but not all--Latinos speak. Latinos from Brazil speak Portugese. Latino may or may not include native Americans (that is, Indians, so called), and may refer mainly or exclusively to those with "mixed" blood (European and Latin American).