"Spanish people"

[Boudica]

I don't know if this happens outside of the US or not, but it seems as if here in the US "Spanish" does not mean people with Spaniard blood from Spain like it is supposed to mean.. In the US people who are Mexican, Cuban, Peurto Rican, etc call them selves "Spanish".. I once had a chat with a girl who was of Spanish (Spaniard) descent, and she told me how angry it made her, and how when she tells people she is Spanish people don't think that she means that she is of Spaniard descent, they think that she is of Mexican, Peurto Rican, etc descent.. What is the deal with this? I know if I had Spanish descent this would piss me off..

[SwordoftheVistula]

There's never really been much of any actual Spaniards here since usually they just go to Latin America and stay there, it's the lower class mixed race people who immigrate here for the most part.

They call themselves 'Spanish' since that is the language they speak, in contrast to white people ('Anglos').

[Boudica]

There's never really been much of any actual Spaniards here since usually they just go to Latin America and stay there, it's the lower class mixed race people who immigrate here for the most part.

They call themselves 'Spanish' since that is the language they speak, in contrast to white people ('Anglos').

I just don't get why they don't call them selves latino, or mexican, etc, lol.. It seems like it makes it very confusing for Spaniards..

[Comte Arnau]

It's as if Spaniards called English those English-speaking Africans that migrate to Spain.

[Boudica]

Lol, might as well call a German speaking asian a German too.

[SwordoftheVistula]

I just don't get why they don't call them selves latino, or mexican, etc, lol.. It seems like it makes it very confusing for Spaniards..

'latino' is a fairly new term, basically it's the newest politically correct term which is supposed to replace 'Spanish people', 'Chicano', and even 'Hispanic'.

Not all of them are Mexicans, and many Peurto Ricans in the northeast, and other assorted ones around, so people just took to calling them 'Spanish people' since exact country of origin was unknown by simple observation, other than the fact they spoke Spanish.

It's as if Spaniards called English those English-speaking Africans that migrate to Spain.

Not really, that wouldn't make sense at all, since the Spaniards have had contact with a people known as the 'English' for hundreds of years.

Probably a better analogy is continuing to call the assorted mongoloid tribes here 'Indians' even though it was long ago ascertained that they did not in fact come from India. Until the past few decades, there were no people actually from India here, so it was not a problem. Now, recently this is creating some confusion with there now being two different groups of people here called 'Indians'

[Boudica]

Yea, the Indian thing definitely causes confusion..

[Comte Arnau]

Calling them Latinos or Hispanic isn't accurate either. Latins are those from the Lazio (Rome) and by extension we can talk about a Latin Europe. But 'Latin America' was simply a French invention to feel included in the Americas, as the term 'Ibero-America' only included Spaniards and Portuguese.

Hispanic must be one of those terms that are constantly changing. From meaning Roman from Hispania, to meaning Iberian, to meaning Spanish, to meaning Spanish-speaking mestizo living in the US.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Another good example, in the UK they use the term 'Asians' to refer to people from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. In the US (and I think Canada), it is used to refer to people from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

'Latin America' was simply a French invention to feel included in the Americas, as the term 'Ibero-America' only included Spaniards and Portuguese.

I've never heard the term 'Ibero-America', as far as I know it was never in use much. French Quebec isn't really considered part of 'Latin America', mainly it means the areas south of the Rio Grande and the Caribbean. Haitians are also considered 'black' and not 'Latin'.

'Latino' is a fairly recent term here, to include the Brazilians I guess, or just because they like to keep inventing new politically correct terms for people.

[Comte Arnau]

I've never heard the term 'Ibero-America', as far as I know it was never in use much. French Quebec isn't really considered part of 'Latin America', mainly it means the areas south of the Rio Grande and the Caribbean. Haitians are also considered 'black' and not 'Latin'.

I was referring to the history of the term in general, not only in the English language. Iberoamérica was used in the Romance languages. English used the term Spanish America back then.

The fact of the French using the term 'Latin America' to feel included is from the times of Napoleon III, when they tried to make Mexico French. They didn't succeed at it, but the term got rooted, apparently.

'Latino' is a fairly recent term here, to include the Brazilians I guess, or just because they like to keep inventing new politically correct terms for people.

It's just short for latinoamericano. Frankly, when I hear some Americans say that the Latin language and music are the one spoken/danced in South America, a sweatdrop of awe goes down my spine.