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Latino (Spanish Latino, (Latin
Latina, (English Latin, (Latina is the feminine form) is a term
that is historically denoted relation to the ancient Latina tribe, who were an ancient Italic people who migrated to central Italy, (Latium
Vetus - Old Latium), in the 2nd millennium B.C and spread the Latin language in Europe.
Most usage, the word Latino, it is the literal translation of the English word
for Latin and are interchangeable with each other. [1] Most often it refers to inhabitants of Latin America,
and their descendants in the United States or relating to the language that developed from Latin, such as Italian, French,
Spanish, and Portuguese, or to the peoples that speak them. It is the abbreviated use of 'Latin-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 Romance language-speaking countries, as opposed to the Germanic language-speaking countries of "Anglo-America".
Usage in the United States
Since its official adoption 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.[2][3]
Authorities of American English maintain a distinction between the terms Hispanic and Latino.[4] Latino is not officially used as a
racial label, as a 'Latino' or 'Latin American' can be of any race.[5]
Related terms
Latino is sometimes used interchangeably with the following terms:[6]
Latin
-
Latin refers to the Latin peoples (linguistic), i.e.
Romance-speaking Latin Europeans, and those
tracing most of their ancestry to them. Latin also refers to the Romance-speaking
Latin-Americans.
In the United States, the term Latin is often synonymous with Latino or Latin American, [1] [7] e.g. Latin jazz, Latin Cuisine, [2] Latin music. The
Latin Grammy Awards is an event in which many Latins, from the Latin American
countries, the United States and Latin European countries participate. It is now being held in New York City, where the Latin
culture has especially flourished.
Latin American
A Latin American is a national of a Latin American country.
Hispanic
-
USA 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: [8]
-
- Spanish speakers and persons belonging to a household where Spanish was spoken [citation needed]
- Persons with Spanish heritage by birth location [citation needed]
- Persons who self-identify with Spanish ancestry or descent
Rejection of the term
Arawak/Taíno Native Americans/Indians (the pre-Columbian inhabitants of Puerto Rico) have asserted to Census Bureau officials
that there is a practice or mechanisms in place to discourage Latinos of Native American descent in Puerto Rico and the U.S. from
choosing the Native American category as a race.[9] Many of federally recognized Native American Tribes in the United States are
Latino/Hispanic.[citation needed] Some 'Latinos' state that the term Latino marginalizes who they really are
and distorts their individual histories.[10]
White Latinos are, in a sense, disassociated from their roots and histories that can be traced to Europe while Native American
Latinos are disappropriated from their Native American origins and histories.[11][12][13]
This blurring or concealment of their identity and history impoverishes them psychologically and culturally.[14][15][16] This confusion is the result of using a racial criteria for classifying people in the census
and media as well as ( only for Hispanics/Latinos) a so called 'ethnic' or cultural criteria.[10][5] Many U.S. hospitals and health centers also use the term Latino/Hispanic incorrectly as if it
were a race. In cases where medical conditions or diseases may be more prone to a particular race, using the generic term
Hispanic/Latino causes confusion and can be costly, as it does not identify the Latinos at risk and puts some Latinos in danger.
This is because this method does not identify the Latinos at risk for the particular disease and puts some Latinos in danger of
not seeking medical help as soon as they would have if they would have been identified by race. Many consider this a diservice
and negligent, because in fact Hispanics/Latinos can be white, black, American Indian or multi-racial, and medical studies of
such importance should indicate what race of Latinos were being used to measure susceptibility to the particular disease. Groups
such as the Mexica Movement also reject the term Latino and describe it as a
racist term that denies and obscures their indigenous (Native
American) identities. The group states Latino improperly associates people of different races, i.e. associating both the
Spanish colonizers and the indigenous inhabitants, especially the descendants of both groups, as
the same ethnic group.[17]
Related terms in other languages
Originally, Latino in the Romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese, French and Spanish, literally means a person from the
Lazio (ancient name: Latium) region in Italy and most notably, someone of ancient Italy's capital, Rome, as well as a member of any of the modern
European Romance-speaking nations or peoples, and
Romance-speaking nations or peoples of the Americas.
Latin: someone who speaks Latin or a language which comes from it.
The Spanish adjective latino (feminine: latina) directly translates to English as "Latin".[4] Spaniards view themselves as being Latins, the same as Europeans with
Latin heritage, such as Italians, Romanians,
French, and Portuguese and any Latin Americans
with any of these European heritages. It is generally accepted that Napoleon III was the first one who came up with the idea of
having a "Latin America" back in the 1880's. He wanted a union between French language-speaking countries in America and other
countries in America that also spoke one of the Latin-based Romance languages. After the defeat of the French in Mexico, Indian
Mexican leader Benito Juarez started referring to his countrymen as latinoamericanos. This term spread throughout what is now
called Latin America. Over a century later, the American government shortened the term "latinoamericano" to "latino" ("Latin
American") for its annual census. In the United States, the term "Latino" doesn't have the same meaning as it has in Europe.
Latin European males and their descendants, whether living in Europe or abroad, have been referring to themselves as Latino for
centuries. Originally the term was used in Europe by the Italians and later by the Spaniards prior to its newer meaning and usage
in America. Many of the Latin American countries have interracial populations and a large percentage of the people in the Latin
American countries self-identify themselves as being of Native American descent. However there is also a large percentage who
self-identify as being Latin. This is because most of the entire population falls in groups of either European descendants and
Indigenous Native American descendants. The extent of inter-racial populations vary in the different Latin American countries.
(The same can be said of non-Latin Countries). Puerto Rico, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Argentina will have different
percentages of people of Latin ancestral descent as well as different portions of people of Native American descent. All however,
are Latin American countries and are considered Latin.[18][19][20] In Spanish, latino, just like any other gentilic, is by
convention not capitalized.
Most people in Latin America consider Latiness 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).
Latin Time Line: Roman Imperium spreads Latin which gives place to Romance languages (French, Italian, Rumanian, Spanish,
Portuguese, etc.) Spanish and Portuguese will be spread into "Iberoamerica" (Iberian America) or "Latinoamerica" with the
Colonies Period and further Italian and Spanish migrations. The same with French and Canada. Latin term is a cuestion of language
and its culture around.
Latin(o) refers o Latin Americans, However Latin(o) does not at anytime apply exclusively to Latin Americans, as European
Latins also use the term.(as opposed to Anglo Saxons which have a different geographical and linguistic origen). As used in the
United States, 'Latin(o)' is not a racial term. Latinos may be white (of European descent). Latinos may also be of the Native
American race, (Amerindians and their descendants).Some Amerindians who now speak a Latin based language may self-identify as
Latino (Culturally or because they speak a Latin based language), However the language spoken does not determine their race, (as
language spoken does not determine race anywhere).
See also
Europe
References
- '^ Latin (definition). yourdictionary' Online Dictionary. Retrieved on 2007-09-19.
- ^ Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity.
Retrieved on 2007-03-18. “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.”
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau Guidance on the Presentation and Comparison of Race and Hispanic Origin
Data. Retrieved on 2007-03-18. “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.”
- ^ a b American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieved on 2007-03-18. “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.”
- ^ a b United States Census Bureau (March 2001). Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin
(PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ Oboler, Suzanne.
Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re) Presentation (in English).
- ^ Latino
(definition). Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (login required). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ 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 2006-12-07.
- ^ The Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Council (April 15, 2000).
A Taino Tribal Leader Meets With Heads
of US Census. The Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ a b The Facts. National Association for the Advancement of Caucasian Latinos (NAACL). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ Common Misconceptions.
National Association for the Advancement of Caucasian Latinos (NAACL). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ Mexica Movement. Mexica Movement. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ The Taino People: A Jatibonicu' Taino History in Puerto Rico & New Jersey.
indigenouspeople.net (June 8, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ The Social Harm. National Association for the Advancement of Caucasian Latinos (NAACL).
Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ Nathaniel Branden. The Six Pillars of
Self-Esteem. Nathaniel Branden;. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ Nathaniel Branden. The Disowned Self. Nathaniel Branden. Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ .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 2007-03-18.
- ^ Puerto Rico.
The CIA World Factbook. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (June 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ Cuba. The
CIA World Factbook. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (June 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
- ^ Mexico.
The CIA World Factbook. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (June 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-15.
Bibliography
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, 4 vls, Oxford University Press 2006, ISBN
0195156005
External links
USA Election Politics
- PoliticosLatinos.com Videos of 2008 US Presidential Election Candidates' Positions regarding Immigration
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