Hispanic Not Latino

For many many years the terms hispanic and latino have been used as the something, which in some sense they are but at the same time they aren't. Hispanic is a more generalized term while latino is for specific. The term hispanic is one that means spanish speaking. Latino is for specific and not all latinos are hispanic, latino is somebody from Latin America also Central America. This poses a problem, while most latino nations speak spanish not all do, like Brazil, Brazil speaks Portuguese.

While the term hispanic is primarily used along Eastern America latino is mainly used west of the Mississippi River. People from places like Mexico and Argentina are considered both hispanic and latino. Spaniards or people from Spain itself are solely hispanic and are not latino at because of the fact that Spain is in Europe. The term hispanic first gained popularity during the Nixon administration.

According to an After Deadline article on the NY Times blog, “A 2008 Center survey found that 36% of respondents prefer the term “Hispanic,” 21% prefer the term “Latino” and the rest have no preference. Every article I have researched shows that depending on what state you live in there is a different percentage on who likes to be called Hispanic and who likes to be called Latino.  I did find that 97% of people that were born in Puerto Rico prefer to be called Hispanic. In the U.S. the term Hispanic (Hispano) gained acceptance after it was picked up by the government and used in forms and census to identify people with Spanish heritage. Hispanic is not a race but an ethnic distinction; Hispanics come from all races and physical traits. The term Hispanic is merely a translation of the Old World word Hispania (Latin) or Hispano (Spanish). (eloricua.com) It is very important to remember that Latino refers to countries or cultures that were once under Roman rule which includes Italy, France, and Spain. Brazilians are considered to be Latino.  Hispanics are cultures that fall under the Spanish rule such as Mexico, Central America, and most South America where Spanish is the primary language. Among Hispanic Texans 45% prefer the term Hispanic, while 8% say they prefer the term “Latino” – roughly a 6-to-1 ratio. (pewresearch.org)  There are many people in the world that really do not know the difference between the two.

The word Hispanic was not used until the 1980 census, after the Office of Management and Budget imposed rules standardizing ethnicity statistics.  In 1997, they changed its classification to “Hispanic or Latino,” explaining “Hispanic is commonly used in the eastern portion of the United States, whereas Latino is commonly used in the western portion.” (www.slate.com)  The United States need to come up with a way to track how many different ethnicities there were and they found that Hispanic’s and Latino’s make up the largest minority.  Out of the majority of Hispanic’s and Latino’s in Texas, only 8% of them want to be called Latino’s.

The word "Latin" comes to us from a tribe in early Italy called the Latin’s. The Latin’s lived in Latium whose capital city was Rome. Their language was called Latin. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, as Rome's Empire grew their language, Latin, spread throughout the Roman Empire later evolving into several "Romance" languages; Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. People from these countries are referred to as Latin, their language is derived from "Latin". These languages are very similar as explained by Dr. Lorenzo LaFarelle, a Chicano Studies professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, the word for cave in Spanish is "cueva", in Portuguese is "cova", in Italian is "cava". (elboricua.com)  “Hispanic” is primarily used along the Eastern seaboard, and favored by those of Caribbean and South American ancestry or origin. “Latino” s principally used west of the Mississippi where it has displaced “Chicano” and “Mexican American.” (www.diffen.com)

One way to ask the question, what origin are you, is to ask them, “Are you of Hispanic or Latin American origin?”  Hispanic and Latino are an origin, not a race.  (womeninbusiness.about.com).  Latino and Hispanics consist of Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and others from the Spanish-speaking lands or cultures of Latin America.  Keep in mind that Latino is an ethnic group, not a race category.  Latinos may be of any race: white, black, Native American, Asian, mestizo, etc.  Some speak Spanish; some do not. (latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Works Cited

Beam, Christopher. "Is Hispanic the Same Thing as Latina?." Slate. N.p., 27 May 2009.           Web. 9 Mar 2014.

Barrera, Juliana. "Hispanic vs Latino Makes Little Difference, Unless You're In            Texas." HuffingtonPost. N.p., 30 10 2013. Web. 9 Mar 2014.

Corrbet, Philip. "Hispanic? Latino? Or What?." The New York Times. N.p., 9 June         2009. Web. 9 Mar 2014.

"Latinos or Hispanics ." elboricua. N.p.. Web. 9 Mar 2014.

Lopez, Mark. "Hispanic or Latino? Many don’t care, except in Texas." Pew Research   Center. N.p., 28 Oct 2013. Web. 9 Mar 2014.

Wolfe, Lahle. "Which is Politically Correct: Latino or Hispanic?." About. N.p.. Web. 9    Mar 2014.

Fuhrmann, Henry. "Usage: 'Latino' preferred over 'Hispanic'." Los Angeles Times.     N.p., 28 Jul 2011. Web. 9 Mar 2014.