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From: jsq@im4u.UUCP (John Quarterman)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.nlang
Subject: Re: One for our side
Message-ID: <623@im4u.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 8-Nov-85 00:06:13 EST
Article-I.D.: im4u.623
Posted: Fri Nov  8 00:06:13 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 9-Nov-85 05:42:14 EST
References: <973@decwrl.UUCP> <12580@rochester.UUCP>
Reply-To: jsq@im4u.UUCP (John Quarterman)
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 35
Xref: linus net.politics:11214 net.nlang:3397

In article <36@utastro.UUCP> nather@utastro.UUCP (Ed Nather) writes:
>> Anyone from Latin America will tell you an inhabitant of the US is a yankee.
>> And you better believe, that's an insult!
>> 					Scott Anderson
>
>Odd.  They called me a "gringo" ... I assume that's a compliment?

Actually, that's yanqui, unless the other is greengo.

A common hispanoamericano term for the those of us north of El Rio
Bravo del Norte (the Rio Grande to you) is norteamericano (sorry
Canadians:  we didn't choose it; they did).  Furthermore,
latinoamericano is considered inaccurate by most of those to whom it
refers (they don't speak Latin, after all).  They prefer hispanoamericano
(Hispanic American).  I think I've seen iberoamericano used to include
Portuguese speakers.

Many Mexicans object to norteamericanos calling their country The
United States.  You see, the official name of Mexico is Los Estados
Unidos Mexicanos.  And there are several other countries in this
hemisphere which are "the United States of Whatever".  Even
The United States of America is considered to be in dubious taste,
because of the multiple meanings of "America".  I call it "the States,"
myself:  there's a name that pleases no-one!  Another good one is
"The Country Without a Name."

Wasn't it Edgar Allen Poe who proposed the name "Appalachia"
(referring to the Appalachian Mountains)?  The country was smaller
then, though.

I understand that in Argentina "gringo" means "italian".  I would mention
the origin of the word, but doubtless everyone knows it already.
-- 
John Quarterman,   UUCP:  {ihnp4,seismo,harvard,gatech}!ut-sally!im4u!jsq
ARPA Internet and CSNET:  jsq@im4u.UTEXAS.EDU, formerly jsq@im4u.ARPA