Gringo

Gringo(/ˈɡriːnɡoʊ/,Spanish:[ˈɡɾiŋɡo],Portuguese:[ˈɡɾĩɡu]) (masculine) orgringa(feminine) is a term inSpanishandPortuguesefor a foreigner. In Spanish, the term usually refers to English-speakingAnglo-Americans. There are differences in meaning depending on region and country. The term is often consideredderogatory,but is not always used to insult,and in the United States its usage and offensiveness is disputed.
The word derives from the term used by theSpanishfor a Greek person:griego.According to theOxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use in English comes fromJohn Woodhouse Audubon'sWestern Journal of 1849–1850,in which Audubon reports that his party was hooted and shouted at and called "Gringoes" while passing through the town of Cerro Gordo,Veracruz.
The wordgringooriginally referred to any kind of foreigner. It was first recorded in 1787 in the SpanishDiccionario castellano con las voces de Ciencias y Artes:
The most likely theory is that it originates fromgriego('Greek'), used in the same way as the English phrase "it'sGreek to me".Spanish is known to have used Greek as a stand-in for incomprehensibility, though now less common, such as in the phrasehablar en griego(lit. 'to speak Greek'). The 1817Nuevo diccionario francés-español,for example, givesgringoandgriegoas synonyms in this context:
This derivation requires two steps:griego>grigo, andgrigo>gringo. Corominas notes that while the first change is common in Spanish (e.g.priesatoprisa), there is no perfect analogy for the second, save inOld French(GregoiretoGrigoiretoGringoire).However, there are other Spanish words whose colloquial form contains anepentheticn, such asgordiflónandgordinflón('chubby'), andCochinchinaandConchinchina('South Vietnam'). It is also possible that the final form was influenced by the wordjeringonza, a game likePig Latinalso used to mean "gibberish".
Alternatively, it has been suggested thatgringocould derive from theCaló language, the language of theRomani people of Spain, as a variant of the hypothetical *peregringo, 'peregrine', 'wayfarer', 'stranger'.
There are severalfalse etymologiesthat purport to derive the origin ofgringofrom word coincidences. Many of these folk etymologies date the word to theMexican–American War(1846–1848):
The wordgringois mostly used in rural areas following the original Spanish meaning.Gringoin Argentina was used to refer to non-Spanish European immigrants who first established agricultural colonies in the country. The word was used forSwiss,German,Polish,Italianand other immigrants, but since the Italian immigrants were the larger group, the word primarily referred toItaliansin thelunfardoargot.It also found use in the intermittent exerciseGringo-GauchobetweenArgentine Naval AviationandUS Navyaircraft carriers.
InBrazil, the wordgringomeans "foreigner" and has no connection to physical characteristics or specific countries. For example, foreignfootball playersin theBrazilian Championshipthat come from other South American countries are referred to as "gringos" by the sports mediaand by sports fans.
As the word has no connection to physical appearance in Brazil,black AfricanorAfrican Americanforeigners are also calledgringos.Popularly used terms for fair-skinned and blond people are generally based in specific nationalities, like "alemão" (i.e.,German), "russo" (Russian) or, in some regions, "polaco" (Polack) and "galego" (Galician)which are used for both Braziliansand foreignerswith such characteristics, regardless of national or ethnic origins. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the word "gringo" is also used to refer to people of Italian ancestry.
In Chile, the wordgringois mostly used to refer topeople from the United States.The wordGringolandiais used colloquially as synonymous with theUnited States of America.
Sometimes, it is used for people from someEnglish-speaking countries, likeGreat BritainorCanada.
In Mexico, the use of the word "gringo" has been reserved for people from the U.S.,oftenwhite people(or also those who have blond hairor European appearance),since the end of the 19th century.
The term is mentioned in its meaning of "incomprehensible language" from the 18th century (1789) to the 1830s, but also to indicate foreign troops, at first, coming from Spain in the second half of the 18th century.A text published in Mexico, but written by a Spaniard, denigrates a Mexican from Sonora for speaking "gringo", in reference to the indigenous language. After theMexican–American War,gringobegan to be used for citizens from that country, with expressions such as "American gringo" or simplygringo, attested as in popular use in Tepetitlán in 1849.Since then,gringobecame a way to designate United States citizens exclusively.
The term is deeply rooted inMexican cultureand art; for example, in the novelThe Old GringobyCarlos Fuentesor in the songsFrijolerobyMolotovandSomos Más AmericanosbyLos Tigres del Norte.
In the United States,gringois often used byLatino Americansto refer toAnglo Americans.Sometimes it is also used by Americans to refer to themselves.It is considered to be aracial slurtargeted towards non-Hispanic white people but it may also refer to any person that is notLatino.Among the US Latino communities it may also disparagingly refer to another Latino person perceived to not be culturally Latino, e.g. inability to speak Spanish.
Alicia Shepardstated that there is a disagreement between Hispanics and non-Hispanics about its offensiveness.She argued that even though in Spanish it is defined as a neutral term and not as an insult, in English it can be interpreted as such, and should be avoided.
Gustavo Arellanosaid that the term is "technically a slur", but "its power to offend nowadays is minimal". He compared the ban on the term as an attempt to cancel aspects of Mexican culture.
InMexican cuisine, agringais a flour tortilla withal pastorpork meat with cheese, heated on acomaland optionally served with asalsa de chile(chilli sauce). Some attribute the name to the white flour used.
In 1969,José Ángel Gutiérrez, one of the leaders of theMexican American Youth Organization, said his and MAYO's use of the term, rather than referring to non-Latinos, referred to people or institutions with policies or attitudes that reflect racism and violence.