Believe it or not, there is a difference between the words Latino and Hispanic, according to the Associate Pres (AP) Stylebook. Not only do the words have their own definition, but each word can be used in a different way. According to the AP’s distinction, when it comes to the Hispanic culture in particular, to debate Latino vs Hispanic is to barely skim the surface of the centuries that led up on how we have come to define these terms today.
David Bowles, a writer, translator, and professor at the University of Texas Río Grande Valley, tells us that the definitions are primarily concerned with geography/location. To be considered Latino/Latina/Latinx, you must have come from a Latin American country.
On the other hand, “Latinx is an ethnic and cultural category whereas Hispanic is a linguistic division,” according to Dr. Luisa Ortiz Pérez, Executive Director of Vita-Activa.org. People who live in or are descended from a Spanish-speaking culture can define themselves as Hispanic. For example, Spanish people (people from Spain) could be described as Hispanic, but not Latino/Latina/Latinx.
So, how do you identify? Latino or Hispanic? Both?
Source
Vincenty, S. (2020, August 4). The Difference Between the Terms Latino and Hispanic, and How They Overlap. Retrieved from The Oprah Magazine: https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a33395013/latino-vs-hispanic-meaning/
SHARE
