Latino
In the United States, the phrase
Latino (and sometimes the feminine form
Latina) refers to a person of
Latin American, especially
Hispanic heritage.[
1] Its use in English derives from the Spanish
latinoamericano (compare to Portuguese
latino-americano), meaning Latin American.[
2] Its usual connotation is
Ibero-American or
Spanish American;
Francophone Canadians are not normally referred to as Latino, even though they speak a
Romance language.
The English language does not use the suffixes
-a or
-o to distinguish from male or female forms; many English speakers will say
Latino even when referring to a woman. However, some speakers will use the phrase
Latina as well.
The concept of
Latin America was coined by the
French in the
1800s as a means of legitimizing French influence over the Spanish-speaking countries of
the Americas; compare
Latin Europe.
Napoleon III, cited
Amérique Latine and
Indochine as goals for expansion during his reign. He proposed the Monarchy in Mexico headed by the Austrian Archduke Maximillian or
Maximilian I of Mexico. The term emphasized a common culture and history of the Latin-speaking peoples, as opposed to the
Germanic language-speaking countries of "
Anglo-America".
The Spanish adjective
latino (feminine:
latina) directly translates to English as
Latin. The dictionary of the
Real Academia Española defines 7 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.[
3] It is also worth mention that in Spanish, these terms are by convention not capitalized as they are in English.
In Latin America, the term
latino is generally used for people of Latin-speaking cultures, from both Old and New Worlds. Most people in Latin America consider "Latino" to be a
cultural or a
lifestyle and to some degree, a
racial term. Many Latin Americans therefore describe themselves as "Latino" whether they are of white (Spanish or Portuguese), black, Amerindian or mixed descent thereof. However, the related term
Ladino in
Central America has connotations of class and sometimes race.
In the
United States, the term "Latino" refers loosely to any person having Latin American background and living in the U.S, and is often taken to be a synonym with "
Hispanic". However, while the term Hispanic has its origins in the census bureau in the 1970s, activists within communities of Latin Americans and of Latin American descent have often preferred the term Latino because it is thought to be more inclusive of the broad range of peoples in the Americas and less derivative of Spain. It is typically contrasted with
Anglo-American and
African-American. The term "Latino" may have racial connotations which are absent in Latin America.
In the U.S. setting, the term "Latino" is sometimes applied to immigrants from
Hispanophone countries in North, Central and South America and their descendants. Brazilians are sometimes categorized as Latino, and sometimes self-categorize as such. Community activists often define "Latino" as encompassing Latin American immigrants only, thus excluding the
Spanish immigrants in the U.S. The U.S. 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" more than "Latino". Inhabitants of French
Guiana and the French
West Indies, for example, are typically thought to have more in common culturally with English-speaking
West Indians than they do with residents of
Mexico and
Central and
South America.
Criticism of the United States usage
It is debated as to whether the word Latino is a proper label for the people living in the Americas. The term is meant to evoke geographical and historical commonality of Latin American peoples, whose history is shaped by policies like the
Monroe Doctrine. However, a racial or linguistic definition of "Latino" might exclude millions of descendants of the
indigenous peoples of the Americas.
The heavy promotion of the term "Latino" by European- and African-descended Cubans in Miami to apply to the much larger Mexican population that is largely indigenous has also fueled critiques of the term as it is currently applied. The media application of the term "Latino" in conjunction with non-Latino indigenous images (such as Aztec and Mayan pyramids) also stirs debate about an "umbrella" term encompassing people of distinct races and civilizations.
Due to the fact that "Latino" is generally recognized as synonym of "Hispamic" (by the average American), some Brazilians (Portuguese speakers), when included under the Latino definition, may not feel comfortable. Although it may be a good trade from the word "Hispanic" used to define people that come from South and Central America. Other people, originating from other Latin-American countries that do not speak Spanish, may feel just the same due to the negation of their language and diverse ethnical heritage by the generalization of the term.
*
Afro-Latino*
Asian Latino*
Boricua*
Brasil*
Casta*
Chicano*
Hispanic*
Hispanic America*
Ibero-American*
Indio*
Isleños*
La raza*
Latin rap*
List of U.S. cities with Hispanic majority populations*
Lusitanic*
MEChA*
Mexica Movement*
Mexican American*
Mestizo or
Mestiço*
Mulatto*
Portuguese AmericanEurope
*
Ancient Italic peoples*
Ancient Rome*
France*
Hispania*
Italy*
Latin*
Latin Europe*
Latin Union*
Latium*
Mezzogiorno*
Moors*
Portugal*
Portuguese*
Romania*
Spain*
Spanish*
"The Idea of Latin America" A new book that traces the modern origins of the term "Latino" to French colonists in the caribbean.
*
A Brazilian Outpost in Westchester County - New York Times "quietly lobbying Westchester County officials to change the name of the Office for Hispanic Affairs to the Office for Latino Affairs. (Since Brazil was colonized by Portugal, the word "Hispanic," denoting Spanish heritage, does not apply to Brazilians.)"
