Video Pick: “Latino” vs “Hispanic”
My very basic explanation of the differences between the words “Latino” and “Hispanic” remains the most popular post in this blog. It generates the most amount of visitors and has the most amount of conversation among readers. Many people disagree with my definitions. Some remind me that it’s not a scientific approach. And many come back and thank me for trying to simplify this complex conversation.
For those of you who don’t know, “Latino” and “Hispanic” are not interchangeable words; they have different meanings. The shortened version of my explanation is as follows:
Basically, you are Hispanic if you and/or your ancestry come from a country where they speak Spanish. You are Latino if you and/or your ancestry come from a Latin American country.
Hispanic excludes the nearly 200 million Brazilians who, while accurately labelled Latinos, speak Portuguese. They are Latinos, they are not Hispanic.
Hispanic includes the nearly 50 million Spaniards (population of Spain) who could never be called Latinos.
I recently came across this great and more detailed video explaining the differences between the two words. I did find it fascinating and I learned a few new things. However, some of the confusion continues.
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Related post: Hispanic vs. Latino: what’s the difference? | Hispanic Houston
Source: A Fascinating Explanation Regarding the Difference Between the Terms ‘Latino’ and ‘Hispanic’ | Laughing Squid
Sandra Fernandez is a professional communicator, tech enthusiast, book lover, and blogger. You can find her main blog at SandraSays.com and more of her writing at HispanicHouston.com.