The demonyms Latino and Latina (feminine), are defined in English language dictionaries as:

• "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent. Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans of Hispanic or Latino descent, which comprises ancestry or origins in Hispanic America Argentine Americans are raised and educated Citizens of the United States although not all U A Bolivian American is an immigrant or descendant of Bolivian immigrants to the United States Chilean Americans are a group of people who emigrated from Chile to the United States, and their descendants Colombian Americans are citizens of the United States who trace their nationality or heritage from the South American nation of Colombia. A Costa Rican American is an inhabitant of the United States who is of Costa Rican descent or birth A Cuban American ( Cubanoamericano) is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. A Dominican American (also Dominican-York) is an American who has ancestry from the Dominican Republic (not to be mistaken for Dominicans from the Commonwealth An Ecuadorian American is any person in the United States who is of Ecuadorian ancestry A Guatemalan American is an American of Guatemalan decent The number of Guatemalans in the U A Honduran American is an American of Honduran descent The number of Hondurans in the U See also History of Mexican-Americans Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican ancestry Nicaraguan American ( Spanish: Nicaragüense Americano) are Americans of Nicaraguan ancestry who were born in or have immigrated to the United States A Panamanian American is any United States citizen or resident who traces his or her ancestry to the Central American nation of Panama. A Paraguayan American is an American of Paraguayan birth or descent A Peruvian American is an Immigrant or descendant of immigrants from Peru that arrived in the United States. Puerto Ricans in the United States (also referred to as the "Puerto Rican Diaspora," " Nuyorican " "Stateside Puerto Ricans" "mainland Salvadoran Americans are residents of the United States of Salvadoran descent Spanish American ( Hispano Americano, derived from la ''[[Hispania]]'' now known as es ''[[Spain España]]'' the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula An Uruguayan American is any person in the United States who is of Uruguayan ancestry or birth including both citizens and non-citizens Venezuelan Americans are Citizens and residents of the United States who trace their heritage to the South American nation of Venezuela. The history of Latinos and Hispanics in the United States is wide-ranging spanning more than four hundred years and varying from region to region within the United States The history of Mexican-American people is wide-ranging spanning more than four hundred years and varying from region to region within the United States. Latinos and Hispanics are predominantly Christian in the United States Santería, also known as La Regla de Lukumi (Lukumi's Rule and The Way of the Saints is an Afro-Cuban religious tradition derived from traditional beliefs The history of the Jews in the Americas dates back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross- Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492 Latino Muslims are Latin Americans whose religion is Islam. In countries such as the United States, where due to a historical misunderstanding Hispanic and Latino Americans have received a growing share of the national vote by their growing number The Chicano Movement of the 1960s also called the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, also known as El Movimiento, it is an extension of the Mexican The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials ( NALEO) is a leadership organization of elected and appointed Latino The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC comprises 21 Democratic Members of the United States Congress of Hispanic descent The League of United Latin American Citizens ( LULAC) is a political advocacy group for Latinos in the United States. History Established in 1998 NALFO the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations set out to become the uniting force for Latin-based fraternities and sororities The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE was founded in Los Angeles California, in 1974 by a group of Engineers employed by the city of Los Association of Hispanic Arts is a New York -based Non-profit organization that promotes the work of Hispanic artists Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> Overview The United Farm Workers of America (UFW is a labor Latino studies is an academic discipline which studies the experience of people of Hispanic ancestry in America Latin music has long influenced American popular music Jazz, Rhythm and blues, and even Country music. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. The Spanish language is the second most-common language in the United States after English. Spanglish espanglish, espaninglish, el Spanish broken, ingléspañol, ingleñol The following is a partial list of United States cities towns and census-designated places in which a majority (over 50% of the population is Hispanic or Latino See also Puerto Rico The following is a list of topics about the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This article contains a list of notable Hispanic and Latino Americans, citizens of the United States with ancestry or origins in Hispanic America or Spain A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States "^[1]
• "A Latin American. "^[2]
• "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States. "^[2]
• "a native or inhabitant of Latin America"^[3]
• "a person of Latin-American origin living in the United States"^[3]
• "someone who lives in the US and who comes from or whose family comes from Latin America"^[4]

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". Spanish dialects and varieties Latin American Spanish refers to the Spanish spoken in the Americas as opposed to Peninsular Spanish (Spanish spoken in the Iberian Peninsula Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Latin is the name of various peoples or ethnicities related to the Latium region in the Italian Peninsula, to the Latin language, or to its descendants ^[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. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An ethnonym ( Gk έθνος ethnos, 'tribe' + όνομα onoma, 'name' is the name applied to a given Ethnic group. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The culture of Spain is an Iberian culture marked by the period of Roman influences The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets "^[5][6]

Use in the United States

Main articles: Hispanics in the United States and History of Latinos and Hispanics in the United States

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". Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans of Hispanic or Latino descent, which comprises ancestry or origins in Hispanic America The history of Latinos and Hispanics in the United States is wide-ranging spanning more than four hundred years and varying from region to region within the United States The federal government of the United States is the central United States Governmental body established by the United States Constitution. Hispanic and Latino Americans are Americans of Hispanic or Latino descent, which comprises ancestry or origins in Hispanic America ^[7] 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:^[8]

• 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 or Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census ^[9][6] Like non-Latinos, a Latino can be White/Caucasian, or Black/African American, or Asian or Native American or Pacific Islander. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. The term black people usually refers to a racial group of Humans with dark Skin color, but the term has also been used to categorise a number of diverse Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. Pacific Islander (or Pacific Person, pl Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s] ' is a geographic term to describe the Austronesian Again like non-Latinos, some may identify with more than one race, such as Mestizo (a bi-racial person of White/Caucasian and Native American descent), Mulatto (a person of White/Caucasian and Black/African American descent), Zambo (a person of Native American and Black/African American descent) or any other race or combination. Mestizo is a Spanish term that was coined during the Spanish Empire to refer to people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry in Latin Mulatto is a term used to describe a person with one white parent and one black parent or a person whose Ancestry is a mixture of black and white Zambo is a Spanish term (the Portuguese language term is Cafuso) that was used in the Spanish Empire and continues to be used today

Although as officially defined in the United States, "Latino" does not include Brazilian Americans,^[5][6] and specifically refers to "Spanish culture or origin",^[5][6] some of the dictionary definitions may include them and/or Brazilians in general. A Brazilian American refers to immigrants from Brazil or Americans of Brazilian ancestry |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Furthermore, Hispanic or Latino origin is, like race, a matter of self-identification in the US, and government and non-government questionnaires, including the census form,^[10] usually contain a blank entry space wherein respondents can indicate a Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin other than the few (Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) which are specified; presumably, Brazilian Americans can thus self-identify as being of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity — as can anyone with no Latin American background, however. Brazilian Americans are not included with Hispanics and Latinos in the government's population reports. ^[11][6]

Some authorities of American English maintain a distinction between the terms "Hispanic" and "Latino":

"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. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. 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. "^[12]

Controversy

The term Latino is rejected by some, for various reasons. It is rejected by some indigenists who state that Native American 'Latinos' are disappropriated from their Native American origins and histories by the application of what they consider a racist, Eurocentric term^[13][14] that improperly associates people of different races, i. For indigenous peoples in the United States other than Hawaii and Alaska see also Native Americans in the United States. List of racism-related topics|Racism by country Racism, by its simplest definition is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that Eurocentrism is the practice of viewing the world from a European perspective with an implied belief either consciously or subconsciously in the preeminence of European (and e. associating both the Spanish colonizers and the indigenous inhabitants, especially the descendants of both groups, as the same ethnic group. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. ^[15][16]

Similar and related terms

In many instances "Latino" is used interchangeably with the terms "Latin" (e. g. "Latin jazz", "Latin Cuisine",^[17] "Latin music", "Latin Grammy Awards") and "Latin American",^[18] especially in popular speech, although Latino is also defined in the English language as a "Latin inhabitant of the United States". Latin jazz is the general term given to music that combines rhythms from African and Latin American countries with jazz and classical harmonies from Latin America the Caribbean Europe Latin music, includes the music of all countries in Latin America (and the Caribbean) and comes in many varieties The Latin Grammy Awards were launched in 2000 with a telecast aired on CBS. ^[19] As a demonym, though, "Latin" can have other meanings:^[20][21]

• "a native or inhabitant of Latium; an ancient Roman. Latin is the name of various peoples or ethnicities related to the Latium region in the Italian Peninsula, to the Latin language, or to its descendants "
• "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. ^[1][2][3][4] The term Latin American is nevertheless preferred by some individuals and organizations in the United States. ^[22][23][24] "Latin American" is defined as:

• "A native or inhabitant of Latin America. "^[25]
• "A person of Latin-American descent. "^[25]

The countries of Latin Europe and Latin America

Definitions in other languages

Further information: Latins

Latino (feminine latina) in the Romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, literally translates as "Latin". Latin is the name of various peoples or ethnicities related to the Latium region in the Italian Peninsula, to the Latin language, or to its descendants The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. 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). The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Latium was a region of ancient Italy, home to the original Latin people. For the football club see SS Lazio Lazio ( Latium in Latin) is a regione of central ^[26][27] Italian dictionaries define the demonym latino as: the ancient Latins and Romans, and their language, Latin, as well as the neo-Latin nations. ^[28][29] 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. The Real Academia Española (“Royal Spanish Academy” the RAE, is the official royal institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America ^[30] In these languages, latino, just like any other demonym, is by convention not capitalized.

See also

• Latino Australian
• Latino Canadian
• Latino Studies
• Latin Union
• Race and ethnicity in the United States Census
• Racial and ethnic demographics of the United States

References

Bibliography

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

External links

• Dia De La Mujer Latina Hispanic or Latino?
• Latin America Network Information Center
• Latin Union
• Latino Cultural Heritage Digital Archives
• Latino Issues Forum Nonprofit Public Policy and Advocacy Institute
• Latinomigrante.com Latino Community Portal in US, Canada
• PBS 'A Cultural Identity' Examines the creation of the Hispanic label by Richard Nixon.
• What's in a name?