At 10:09:23 PM on Wednesday, October 8, 2003, Patrick C.
Ryan wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Miguel Carrasquer" <mcv@...>
>> Define "Latino".
> <PCR> In the politically correct USA, Latino is the
> favored term to designate Mexican Amerindians, who speak
> Spanish (even as a second language).
> It is sometimes extended to Amerindians from other
> countries who speak Spanish.
This is wildly inaccurate. Here's what the U.S. Census
Bureau says:
Hispanics or Latinos are those people who classified
themselves in one of the specific Spanish, Hispanic, or
Latino categories listed on the Census 2000 questionnaire
-"Mexican, Mexican Am., Chicano," "Puerto Rican", or
"Cuban" -as well as those who indicate that they are
"other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino." Persons who indicated
that they are "other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino" include
those whose origins are from Spain, the Spanish-speaking
countries of Central or South America, the Dominican
Republic or people identifying themselves generally as
Spanish, Spanish-American, Hispanic, Hispano, Latino, and
so on.
Everyday usage varies but certainly does not restrict the
term to Mexican Americans; the traditional term for them is
<Chicano, -a>.
Brian