What exactly is a Latino?

Question

i mean i know who would be considered latinos, but not exactly.what definition would fit the diversity of latinos? do unmixed africans and indeginious(xuse ma spelling)count. do people have to be mixed with spanish to be considered hispanic. or there any exceptions. someone explain this.

Answer 1

Latino (and sometimes the form Latina for females), as used in American English, generally refers to an American of Latin American descent, especially Hispanic American heritage. It is a word borrowed from Spanish latino, shortened from latinoamericano.

latino, latina Function: adjective Usage: Spanish word 1 : Latin. 2 familiar : Latin-American (Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary)
The term "Latino" refers loosely to any person having Latin American background and is often taken to be a synonym with "Hispanic". However, while official use of the term Hispanic has its origins in the Census Bureau in the 1970s, activists within communities of Latin origin have often preferred the term Latino or because it is thought to be more inclusive of the broad range of peoples in Latin America. However, those of Spanish descent even when born in Latin America may prefer the term Hispanic. It is typically contrasted with European American and African American. The term "Latino" is often incorrectly given racial connotations.

The term "Latino" is typically understood by some to mean immigrants from Hispanophone countries in North, Central and South America and their U.S.-born descendants.(This understanding is incomplete.) Brazilians are sometimes categorized as Latinos, and sometimes self-categorize as such. The term refers specifically but not exclusively to Americans of Latin American origin. Latinos include Spanish Americans of Spain which is in Europe. People from Spain self-categorize themselves as Latinos, and that this self-identification should be respected by others is the basis of United States(American) Census. Persons of Portuguese, Italian, or French heritage, while being European, Caucasian and "Latin" in the European sense of the word, are speakers of the worlds romance languages, "Latinos" as used in the United States, but are not considered latinos. Inhabitants having a background in countries of the Western Hemisphere where other Romance languages are widespread (such as Aruba or Haiti) are usually thought of as "Caribbean" rather than "Latino". This is because they do not speak Spanish, and because they do not share in the Spanish culture. Inhabitants of French Guiana and the French West Indies, for example, are typically thought to have more in common culturally with English-speaking Caribbeans than they do with residents of Mexico and Central and South America.

The English language does not distinguish between the male and female genders. This leads many native English speakers to say Latino when referring to a woman. Some see this as incorrect, as the Spanish form "Latino" is male. Some speakers, especially those with knowledge of Spanish, will use the correct Spanish form Latina when referring to a female.

Answer 2

Typically, Spaniards aren't viewed Latino. There are over 500 years of cultural separation among European Spaniards and New World Latinos that talk Spanish. Brazilians are very culturally special from European Portuguese persons. There are over four hundred years of cultural separation among so much Portuguese and Brazilians. Neither Portuguese nor Brazilians are quite often concept of as Latino, as that time period has a tendency to use to New World Spanish audio system who're united via a ordinary language and ethnicity. Haitians are a entire different tale. They talk Creole French, however culturally they're much special from the mum nation of France that enslaved their ancestors within the New World. Haiti is within the West Indies like Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, however Haitians have a notably special tradition than Latinos.

Answer 3

Latino vs Hispanic vs Spanish. I am a latino from Ecuador and also studied Latin American History in college.

1 - Latino means from Latin America (Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America including Brazil and Haiti)

2 - Hispanic means you or your origins come from a Spanish speaking place.

3 - Spanish just means someone from Spain just like a English person is from Britain. (You wouldn't call an American a English Person just because he speaks english, you can't call a Mexican Spanish just because he speaks Spanish)

A latino can be from Haiti and Brazil also because Haiti and Brazil is in Latin America but they are not hispanic because they don't come from a Spanish speaking place. A Haitian would be considered a Latino. They would be Afro-Latino if they are black Haitians.

A person from Spain (or a Spanish person) is hispanic because they come from a place that speaks Spanish but they are not latino because Spain is in Europe and Spain is not part of Latin America.


A person from Equatorial Guinea (which is a country in Africa) is Hispanic because the countries official language is Spanish, he is not latino because Africa is not part of Latin America. If he is black then he is Afro-Hispanic


People from Latin America that come from a Spanish speaking place are considered both Latino and Hispanic (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Bolivia, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Etc)

Answer 4

Latino means that you come from a country which speaks a language with Latin (Roman) influence. Since most of the countries in South and Central America speak Spanish and Portuguese, people in the States use the word Latino to define the Amerindian ethnicity.
The word Hispanic doesn't come from the ethnicity, but from the language, which is Spanish.

Answer 5

Any native speaker of a language that derived from latin. Most commonly used for spanish speaking american countries.

Answer 6

I took a race and ethnicity class. It is my understanding that the word "Latino" is the preferred reference to any person from latin america, including hispanics (Mexicans), and anyone of that descent.

Answer 7

A very proud culture

Answer 8

no joking. go to the latin Amirica you may know

Answer 9

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This article deals with the use of the term Latino. For the articles about the peoples covered by the term, see Hispanic and Brazilian American.
For the singer known as Latino, see Latino (singer).
Latino (and sometimes the form Latina for females), as used in American English, generally refers to an American of Latin American descent, especially Hispanic American heritage.[1] It is a word borrowed from Spanish latino, shortened from latinoamericano.[2]

latino, latina Function: adjective Usage: Spanish word 1 : Latin. 2 familiar : Latin-American (Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary)

Contents [hide]
1 Usage in the United States
2 Usage in the United States (Past and Present)
2.1 Analysis and critique of the term (Past and Present)
3 Related terms
4 Use in Spain and Latin America
5 See also
5.1 Europe
6 External links



[edit] Usage in the United States
The term "Latino" refers loosely to any person having Latin American background and is often taken to be a synonym with "Hispanic". However, while official use of the term Hispanic has its origins in the Census Bureau in the 1970s, activists within communities of Latin origin have often preferred the term Latino or because it is thought to be more inclusive of the broad range of peoples in Latin America. However, those of Spanish descent even when born in Latin America may prefer the term Hispanic. It is typically contrasted with European American and African American. The term "Latino" is often incorrectly given racial connotations.

The term "Latino" is typically understood by some to mean immigrants from Hispanophone countries in North, Central and South America and their U.S.-born descendants.(This understanding is incomplete.) Brazilians are sometimes categorized as Latinos, and sometimes self-categorize as such. The term refers specifically but not exclusively to Americans of Latin American origin. Latinos include Spanish Americans of Spain which is in Europe. People from Spain self-categorize themselves as Latinos, and that this self-identification should be respected by others is the basis of United States(American) Census. Persons of Portuguese, Italian, or French heritage, while being European, Caucasian and "Latin" in the European sense of the word, are speakers of the worlds romance languages, "Latinos" as used in the United States, but are not considered latinos. Inhabitants having a background in countries of the Western Hemisphere where other Romance languages are widespread (such as Aruba or Haiti) are usually thought of as "Caribbean" rather than "Latino". This is because they do not speak Spanish, and because they do not share in the Spanish culture. Inhabitants of French Guiana and the French West Indies, for example, are typically thought to have more in common culturally with English-speaking Caribbeans than they do with residents of Mexico and Central and South America.

The English language does not distinguish between the male and female genders. This leads many native English speakers to say Latino when referring to a woman. Some see this as incorrect, as the Spanish form "Latino" is male. Some speakers, especially those with knowledge of Spanish, will use the correct Spanish form Latina when referring to a female.


[edit] Usage in the United States (Past and Present)
The Spanish term Latino (for males) or (Latina for females) actually translates into "a Latin person", 1) Latins - (4)a member of one of the Latin peoples; specifically : a native or inhabitant of Latin America [[3]] 2) Latin - (4) of or relating to the peoples or countries using Romance languages; specifically : of or relating to the peoples or countries of Latin America [4]. Latinos are speakers of romance languages (Spanish) and by definition are Latins. The Spanish word 'Latino' became more common and was used for 'political correctness', not to give the impression that Latinos were not Latin, but because most people of Latin America referred to themselves as 'latinos, using their native Spanish language. The terms Latin and Latino are used interchangeably to describe Latinos and their culture, i.e. Latin Jazz, Latin music, The Latin Grammies is a an event being held in New York City this year, (2006) in which other "Latins" including Brazilians and Spaniards will participate in. For links of Mayor Bloomberg and others using the Latin and Latino term, click on this [[5]] and go down to the second video. See Also [[6]],[[7]]and[[8]] Complications arise when some try to assign different meanings than what the term latino ("a Latin person of the male form)means. Therefore it is better to refer to Latinos (which means 'a latin person', in Spanish) as Latins (the English word for latino) to avoid excluding other latin people who may be offended by using a term that is in another latin peoples language. This also avoids confusion and the offense of giving the impression that there is a difference between being latino and being latin.





[edit] Analysis and critique of the term (Past and Present)
There has long been debate about the use of the term Latin in the name Latin America and by extension about the term Latino. But the use of the word Latin evokes the geographical and historical, not racial, commonality of Latin American peoples, whereas a racial or linguistic definition might exclude millions of descendants of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, or the descendants of African slaves or of Asian immigrants.

Due to the fact that "Latino" is generally recognized by the average American as a synonym of "Hispanic", some Brazilians (Portuguese speakers), when included under the Latino definition may not feel comfortable. Other non-Spanish speaking people originating from other Latin American countries may feel similarly due to the perceived negation of their language and diverse ethnic heritage by the generalization of the term.

Much like the terms black, African American, etc., the term Latino (as well as Hispanic) can carry many connotations and implications, many of them emotional and/or politically significant, and is thus impossible to objectively define, perhaps. Generally speaking, however, in the U.S., both terms (Latino and Hispanic) are usually used and understood to describe (roughly) (A) people from predominantly Spanish-speaking countries in the Western Hemisphere: e.g. Mexico, Central and South America (usually excepting Brazil), Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic; and (B) their descendants.


[edit] Related terms
The two terms "Hispanic" and "Latino" are not strictly interchangeable. The first term applies to any American with origins in any Latin American country colonized by Spain, thus excluding Brazilians, because Brazil was colonized by Portugal.

However, definitions may vary and in colloquial speech this distinction is often not made. Some definition, including in some dictionaries make the error of [9], defining Latino just as "Spanish-speaking", which would seem to include Spaniards, which is incorrect because Spaniards are European and the mother country to the lands it colonized. In casual conversation, speakers may also be imprecise with their usage of the terms.


[edit] Use in Spain and Latin America
The Spanish adjective latino (feminine: latina) directly translates to English as "Latin". The dictionary of the Real Academia Española defines seven senses for the term, which can refer to Lazio in Italy, the Latin language, any of the world's Romance languages spoken in Europe or America, or speakers of these languages.[10] It is also worth mentioning that in Spanish, these terms are by convention not capitalized as they are in English.

In Spain, the term latino directly translates into Latin. Spaniards view themselves as being Latins, the same as Italians, Romanians, French, and the Portuguese, Puerto Ricans, Cubans , etc. "Latin" (latino) is not used as a racial term in Spain. The term Latino does not refer to race.

In Latin America, the term latino is generally used for people of Latin-speaking cultures, from both the Old and New Worlds. Most people in Latin America consider "Latino" to be a culture or a lifestyle to some degree, which includes Brazil as well as Spanish-speaking countries. Many Latin Americans therefore describe themselves as "Latino" whether they are of white, black, Amerindian, Asian, or mixed descent.


[edit] See also
Afro-Latino
Asian Latino
Boricua
Brazil
Brown Berets
Casta
Chicano
Criollo
Hispanic
Hispanic America
Ibero-America
Indio
Isleños
Latin Jazz
Latin Music
La raza
Latin rap
List of U.S. cities with Hispanic majority populations
Lusitanic
MEChA
Mexica Movement
Mexican American
Mestizo or Mestiço
Mulatto
Latin pop
Portuguese American
United States of South America

[edit] Europe
Ancient Italic peoples
Ancient Rome
Andorra
France
French
Hispania
Italy
Latin
Latin Europe
Latin Union
Latium
Mezzogiorno
Moldova
Moldovans
Monaco
Portugal
Portuguese
Romania
Romanian
San Marino
Spain
Spaniards
Spanish
Vatican City
Wallonia

[edit] External links
Latino USA The Radio Journal of Latino news and Culture.
Latino Issues Forum Nonprofit Public Policy and Advocacy Institute
Latino Sports Legends
Latin America Network Information Center
Latina Usenet Group
Latina Usenet Group
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latino"
Categories: Hispanic American history | Latin American culture | Ethnic groups in the United States

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