Latino (demonym)

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][2][3]

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][5]The term is also used in Spain as a term of self-identification for immigrants from Hispanoamerica.

Contents 1 Use in the United States 2 Similar and related terms 3 Criticism 4 Definitions in other languages 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links

Use in the United States

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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": "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."^[6]

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:^[7]

• 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

Neither "Hispanic" nor "Latino" refers to a race, as a person of Latino/Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race.^[5][8] Like non-Latinos, a Latino can be of any race or combination of races: White/Caucasian, Black/African American, Asian, Native American, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander American, or two or more races.

Although as officially defined in the United States, "Latino" does not include Brazilian Americans,^[4][5] and specifically refers to "Spanish culture or origin",^[4][5] some of the dictionary definitions may include Brazilian Americans and/or Brazilian people in general. Also, since Hispanic or Latino origin is, like race, a matter of self-identification, any Brazilian American wishing to do can presumably report as being Hispanic or Latino. However, the Brazilian American group is not included with Hispanics and Latinos in the government's population reports.^[5][9]

Listed below are the 28 categories tabulated in the 2000 United States Census: Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican Republic; Central American: Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Salvadoran, Other Central American; South American: Argentinian, Bolivian, Chilean, Colombian, Ecuadorian, Paraguayan, Peruvian, Uruguayan, Venezuelan, Other South American; Other Hispanic or Latino: Spaniard, Spanish, Spanish American, All other Hispanic or Latino.^[10]

Similar and related terms

The countries of Latin Europe and Latin America

Sometimes "Latino" is used interchangeably with "Latin", as Latino is also defined as a "Latin inhabitant of the United States";^[11] and sometimes it is used interchangeably with "Latin American".^[12] As a demonym, though, "Latin" can have other meanings:^[13][14]

• "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."

"Latin American" may also not mean the same as "Latino," depending on which definition of the latter is used. The term "Latino", as an English word, was implemented in the US to refer to what is a group of people composed of US citizens and residents, not to residents of Latin America.^[15][16][17] Also, a Spaniard, for example, though a "Latino" by some definitions, is not a Latin American. The term "Latin American", in turn, though normally applied to inhabitants of Latin America, is nevertheless preferred by some individuals and organizations in the United States.^[18][19][20] "Latin American" is defined as:

• "A native or inhabitant of Latin America."^[21]
• "A person of Latin-American descent."^[21]

Criticism

The term Latino, despite its increasing popularity, is still highly debated among those who are called by the name.^[22][23] Since the adoption of the term by the US Census Bureau^[24] and its subsequent widespread use, there have been several controversies and disagreements, specially in the United States and, to a lesser extent, in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. Regarding it as an arbitrary generic term, many Latin American scholars, journalists and indigenous rights organisations have objected against the mass media use of the word "Latino", pointing out that such ethnonyms are optional and should be used only to describe people involved in the practices, ideologies and identity politics of their supporters.^{[25][26][27][28]} Journalist Rodolfo Acuña writes:

"When and why the Latino identity came about is a more involved story. Essentially, politicians, the media, and marketers find it convenient to deal with the different U.S. Spanish-speaking people under one umbrella. However, many people with Spanish surnames contest the term Latino. They claim it is misleading because no Latino or Hispanic nationality exists since no Latino state exists, so generalizing the term Latino slights the various national identities included under the umbrella.^[29]

Popular personalities like Andy García have also expressed concern. He has stated that, in spite of his love of his native Cuba, he dislikes being labeled as a 'Latino actor', preferring instead to be addressed as an actor without a tag attached to him.^[30]

Definitions in other languages

The term latino (feminine latina) in the Romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, literally translates as "Latin". The cognate French term is Latin, not Latino. Portuguese dictionaries define the demonym latino to refer to natives of Romance-speaking nations influenced by Roman civilization, and to the natives or inhabitants of ancient Latium (modern Lazio).^[31][32] Italian dictionaries define the demonym latino as: the ancient Latins and Romans, and their language, Latin, as well as the neo-Latin nations.^[33][34] The dictionary of the Real Academia Española defines ten meanings for latino, including the ancient peoples of Latium and the modern Romance-speaking European and American nations.^[35] In these languages, latino, just like any other demonym, is by convention not capitalized.

See also

• Latin American Australian
• Latin American Canadian
• Latino Studies
• Hispanic/Latino naming dispute
• Latin Union
• Race and ethnicity in the United States Census
• Racial and ethnic demographics of the United States

References

Further reading

• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, 4 vls, Oxford University Press 2006, ISBN 0-19-515600-5
• Miguel A. De La Torre, "Encyclopedia on Hispanic American Religious Culture," Volume 1 & 2, ABC-CLIO Publishers, 2009.

External links

• Latino Cultural Heritage Digital Archives
• PBS 'A Cultural Identity' Examines the creation of the Hispanic label by Richard Nixon.
• What's in a name?
• Yale University – Understanding Ethnic Labels and Puerto Rican Identity
• Chicano/Latino Studies University of California, Irvine