[Ads-l] Can We Please Stop Using =?Windows-1252?Q?=91Latinx=92=3F_?=Thanx. | by Kurly Tlapoyawa | Human Parts

[Margaret Winters]

Discussions with colleagues from Spain (admittedly all with higher degrees or working on them) is that they are absolutely certain that they are not Latino/a but European.  This came up occasionally when dealing with one or another Affirmative Action office (I was chair of foreign languages over several years at two different universities) when the question of identifying oneself as what we now call a protected minority arose in filling out forms.  To a person the Spaniards I hired checked Caucasian/White and were outraged at the query from Affirmative Action about their being anything else.  I would guess natives of Portugal would react the same way, but I have no first-hand experience there.

best to all,
Margaret


----------------------------
MARGARET E WINTERS
Former Provost
Professor Emerita - French and Linguistics
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI  48202

mewinters at wayne.edu


________________________________
From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Salikoko S. Mufwene <mufw at UCHICAGO.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2020 2:50 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Can We Please Stop Using ‘Latinx’? Thanx. | by Kurly Tlapoyawa | Human Parts

Larry, one thing that prompted me to share the article with the list is
that, according to Tlapoyawa, "Latinx" was used as a substitute for
"Chicana" and "Chicano." My understanding is that the denotation of
"Latinx" is now much, much more inclusive, applying to people from the
geographical area called "Latin America." For some, that also includes
former French colonies and current French overseas departments, as "the
Americas" sometimes include the Caribbean islands. So, it appears to me
that the inclusiveness of "x" in "Latinx" now also applies to diversity
of national origins.

Another relevant fact is that you asked yesterday, if I remember well,
whether the label applies to the Portuguese and Spanish people. The
article does not suggest that interpretation but leads Tlapoyawa to
deplore neocolonialism (my interpretation) in the choice of the label
"Latin," which, from the Chevalier's perspective much earlier, includes
not only Portugal and Spain but also France.

On 8/19/2020 10:54 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
> With respect to Sali, it should be stressed that (as he notes) the point of
> the Medium piece linked to is not at all connected with that of the ADS
> thread. The former is an objection to the "Latin" part of "Latinx" on
> etymological grounds, not to the "x" part, which was the focus of the ADS
> thread. (Nobody in that thread was discussing attitudes toward "Latino" and
> "Latina", just attitudes toward "Latinx".)  Indeed, the subhead notes the
> importance of gender inclusivity. Whether Tlapoyawa's objection to the
> "Latin-" forms is well-taken or not depends on your attitude toward what
> Mill called the etymological fallacy.
>
> LH
>
> On Wed, Aug 19, 2020 at 12:14 PM Salikoko S. Mufwene <mufw at uchicago.edu>
> wrote:
>
>> I find this Medium article so relevant to the discussion yesterday about
>> "Latinx," though its focus is not the same as that on the ADS List.
>>
>>
>> https://humanparts.medium.com/can-we-please-stop-using-latinx-thanx-423ac92a87dc
>>
>> --
>> **********************************************************
>> Salikoko S. Mufwene                    s-mufwene at uchicago.edu
>> The Frank J. McLoraine Distinguished Service Professor of Linguistics and
>> the College
>> Professor, Committee on Evolutionary Biology
>> Professor, Committee on the Conceptual & Historical Studies of Science
>> Professor, Committee on African Studies
>> Extraordinary Professor, University of Western Cape, 2018-2021
>> University of Chicago                  773-702-8531; FAX 773-834-0924
>> Department of Linguistics
>> 1115 East 58th Street
>> Chicago, IL 60637, USA
>> http://mufwene.uchicago.edu/
>> **********************************************************
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

--
**********************************************************
Salikoko S. Mufwene                    s-mufwene at uchicago.edu
The Frank J. McLoraine Distinguished Service Professor of Linguistics and the College
Professor, Committee on Evolutionary Biology
Professor, Committee on the Conceptual & Historical Studies of Science
Professor, Committee on African Studies
Extraordinary Professor, University of Western Cape, 2018-2021
University of Chicago                  773-702-8531; FAX 773-834-0924
Department of Linguistics
1115 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637, USA
http://mufwene.uchicago.edu/
**********************************************************

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org