Latino

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The English word Latino (Latina is the feminine form) may have derived from the Spanish word latinoamericano [1] and most often refers to inhabitants of Latin America, and their descendents in the United States. It is the abreviated use of 'Latin-American'. 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 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".

Contents 1 Usage in the United States 1.1 Related terms 1.1.1 Latin 1.1.2 Latin American 1.1.3 Hispanic 1.1.4 Spanish 1.2 Rejection of the term 2 Related terms in other languages 3 See also 3.1 Europe 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External links

Usage in the United States

Since it officially adopted it in 1997, the definition and usage of the term by the Federal Government is strictly as an ethnic, as opposed to racial, identifier, used together with the term Hispanic.^[1][2]

Authorities of American English maintain a distinction between the terms Hispanic and Latino.^[3] Latino is not officially used as a racial label, as a 'Latino' or 'Latin American' can be of any race.[[2]]< However many believe they have been the target of certain peoples with agendas who will attempt people to believe otherwise. ref name = <"oboler"> Oboler, Suzanne. Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re) Presentation (in English). Retrieved on March 18, 2007.  </ref>^[4]

Related terms

Latino is sometimes used interchangeably with the following terms:^[5]

Latin

Main article: Latin peoples

Latin refers to the Latin peoples, i.e. Romance-speaking Europeans, and those tracing most of their ancestry to them.

The term Latin is sometimes synonymous with Latino or Latin American,^[6] e.g. Latin jazz, Latin music. The Latin Grammy Awards is an event in which many Latins, including Brazilians and Spaniards, Puerto Ricans, Mexican, Columbian, etc, participate.

Latin American

A Latin American is a national of a Latin American country.

Hispanic

Main article: Hispanic

Official use of the term Hispanic has its origins in the 1970 United States Census. The Census Bureau attempted to identify all Hispanics by use of the following criteria in sampled sets: ^[7]

• Spanish speakers and persons belonging to a household where the head of household was a Spanish speaker
• Persons with Spanish heritage by birth location or surname
• Persons who self-identified Spanish origin or descent

Spanish

Main article: Spanish people

Spanish people are nationals of Spain and those who trace their descent to Spain directly, not via a Latin American or other country.

Rejection of the term

Groups such as the Mexica Movement reject the term Latino and describe it as a racist term that denies indigenous identities. The group states that Latino falsely lumps together people of different races merely because their ancestors were colonized by Spanish Europeans.^[8]

Related terms in other languages

Latino in some of the Romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, literally means a person from the Lazio (ancient name: Latium) region in Italy, as well as a member of any of the modern European Romance-speaking nations or peoples, as well as Romance-speaking nations or peoples of the Americas[[3]] (Latin peoples).

The Spanish adjective latino (feminine: latina) directly translates to English as "Latin", not "Latino".^[3] Spaniards view themselves as being Latin(o)s, the same as Italians, Romanians, French, and the Portuguese, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, etc. In Spanish, latino, just like any other gentilic, is by convention not capitalized.

Most people in Latin America consider Latinness to be a culture or a lifestyle to some degree, in Brazil as well as in Spanish-speaking countries in the region. Many Latin Americans therefore describe themselves as Latin whether they are of white, black, Amerindian, Asian, or mixed descent (Mestizo, Mulatto, Zambo, etc).

See also

• Boricua
• Chicano
• Hispanic America
• Ibero-America
• Isleños
• Ladino
• Latin America
• Latino Australian
• Latino Canadian
• Mexican American
• Tejano

Europe

• Ancient Rome
• Latin
• Latin American British
• Latin Europe
• Latin peoples
• Latin Union
• Latium
• Spaniards

References

1. ^ Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity. Retrieved on March 18, 2007. “OMB does not accept the recommendation to retain the single term "Hispanic." Instead, 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 ... The provisions of these standards are effective immediately for all new and revised record keeping or reporting requirements that include racial and/or ethnic information. All existing record keeping or reporting requirements shall be made consistent with these standards at the time they are submitted for extension, or not later than January 1, 2003.”
2. ^ U.S. Census Bureau Guidance on the Presentation and Comparison of Race and Hispanic Origin Data. Retrieved on March 18, 2007. “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.”
3. ^ ^{a b} American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieved on March 18, 2007. “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 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 one cannot substitute Latino in the phrase the Hispanic influence on native Mexican cultures without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is 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.”
4. ^ Alcoff, Linda Martín. Visible Identities: Race, Gender, and the Self (in English). Retrieved on March 18, 2007. 
5. ^
6. ^ http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/unabridged?va=Latin&x=32&y=11
7. ^ Gibson, Campbell (09 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 on December 7, 2006.
8. ^ 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 on March 18, 2007.

Bibliography

• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, 4 vls, Oxford University Press 2006, ISBN 0195156005

External links

• Latino History
• Mexica Movement Indigenous rights and education organization that aggressively challenges the application of the Hispanic and Latino labels toward people of Mexican and Central American descent. The groups states that the US government's usage of the term "Hispanic" is a top-down method of ethnically cleansing their indigenous identities.
• 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