Latine

Gender-neutral term for Latin Americans

Not to be confused with Latini, Latin, Latina, Latino, Latinx, or Lateen.

Latine is a gender-neutral neologism developed as an alternative to the terms Latino, Latina, or Latinx used to identify people of Latin American descent.[1][2][3][4][5] The term stems from the more popular term Latinx.[6] While Latine is broadly described as a gender-neutral term for Latin Americans, its use is linguistically limited to people from Hispanic America and is exclusionary toward Latin Americans who speak other Romance languages. It cannot function as a gender-neutral term for people from Franco America because Latine is already the feminine form of Latin in French.[7]

Latine is relatively new, only gaining use in the late 2010s.[8] Both Latine and Latinx can be used in the same manner. The term Latinx ends with an "x" which makes it more difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce.[9][10][11][12] In contrast, Latine is more accessible to Spanish speakers because the “-e” word ending is a vowel sound that is standard in Spanish and is parallel to other gender-neutral words in Spanish such as estudiante.[13]

Latinx's main use is in the United States and in academia,[3][9][12][14] and the increasing number of people identifying as non-binary and seeking terms that affirm their gender identities are some of the reasons as to why Latine is gaining attention and use.[8][15] Although just 3% of Hispanic Americans said they used Latinx in a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, younger generations are becoming more aware of gender-neutral alternatives like Latine.[8]

The term is new to many countries outside Chile and Argentina, it is beginning to gain attraction in both academia and everyday use.[9][16] While the term is more inclusive and making its way to other countries, many people who identify as Hispanic or Latino are still unaware of terms such as Latine or Latinx, with the majority being older people ages 50 and above.[2]

## History

[edit]

Latine is the feminine form of Latin in the French language. The Spanish word Latino is a shortened form of latinoamericano, and modeled on the French term Amérique latine (Latin America).[7] In English, Latino and Latina are loanwords from Spanish, where they are used as gendered terms to refer to people of Latin American descent.[17]

The exact origin of the term Latine as a gender-neutral neologism for Spanish is unclear,[3] it is said to have originated from LGBTQ+ online activists wanting a more inclusive term to identify themselves aside from the difficult-to-pronounce Latinx.[5][8] However, the term is also said to have originated in Chile and Argentina, being used by young student activists during protests.[12][18] The interconnectedness of the Latina identity was highlighted by these demonstrations, which frequently addressed concerns of gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and language decolonization.[18]

In 2019, The Washington Post published an article that details the effects that the usage of gender-inclusive language had on Spanish-speaking populations after a young teenager spoke in a television interview. "Natalia Mira, 18, used gender-neutral language in a television interview that made headlines across the Spanish-speaking world last year. The viral video made her the subject of attacks, but now the form is finding official acceptance."[18]

Some US institutions, such as the Chicago History Museum, are shifting from using Latino/a/x to Latine.[19]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Definition of LATINE". www.merriam-webster.com. 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
2. ^ a b Lopez, Luis Noe-Bustamante, Lauren Mora and Mark Hugo (2020-08-11). "About One-in-Four U.S. Hispanics Have Heard of Latinx, but Just 3% Use It". Pew Research Center's Hispanic Trends Project. Retrieved 2023-12-08.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. ^ a b c "Latino, Latinx, or Latine? What Young People of Latin American Descent Think About These Terms". Teen Vogue. 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
4. ^ "If Hispanics Hate the Term "Latinx", Why is it Still Used?". Boston University. 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
5. ^ a b "Latine vs. Latinx: How And Why They're Used". Dictionary.com. 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
6. ^ Salinas Jr., Cristobal; Lozano, Adele. THE HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF THE TERM LATINX (PDF). pp. 248–250.
7. ^ a b Martinez, Juan Francisco (2009). "Identity (Latino/a vs. Hispanic)". In Miguel A. De La Torre (ed.). Hispanic American Religious Cultures. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 292\. ISBN 978-1-59884-139-8. OCLC 774498013.
8. ^ a b c d "Latino, Latinx, Hispanic, or Latine? Which Term Should You Use? | BestColleges". www.bestcolleges.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
9. ^ a b c R.Miranda, Alexis; Perez-Brumer, Amaya; M.Charlton, Brittany (2023). Latino? Latinx? Latine? A Call for Inclusive Categories in Epidemiologic Research. Vol. 192\. Oxford University Press. pp. 1929–1932\. doi:10.1093/aje/kwad149. PMC 10988219. PMID 37392097. `{{cite book}}`: `|journal=` ignored (help)
10. ^ "Latinx, Latine, or Latino? 8 LGBTQ+ People Tell Us What They Prefer and Why". Them. 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
11. ^ "From Hispanic to Latine: Hispanic Heritage Month and the Terms That Bind Us". The New York Public Library. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
12. ^ a b c Network, The Learning (2021-06-15). "For Most Latinos, Latinx Does Not Mark the Spot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
13. ^ "What's In a Name? Identity, Terminology, and Latino Heritage". US National Park Service. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
14. ^ Cano, Manuel; Gelpí-Acosta, Camila. Variation in US drug overdose mortality within and between Hispanic/Latine subgroups: A disaggregation of national data. Elsevier.
15. ^ "A guide to how words like Hispanic and Latinx came about". Washington Post. 2022-10-01. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
16. ^ Chaparro, Reynel Alexander; L. Abreu, Roberto (2023). LGBTQ+ Affirmative Psychological Interventions A Latine/x Perspective /. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. ISBN 9783031306433.
17. ^ "Latino, n.". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. 1989.
18. ^ a b c "Teens in Argentina are leading the charge for a gender-neutral language". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
19. ^ Gonzales, Elena (2023-10-24). "Why We're Saying "Latine"". Chicago History Museum. Retrieved 2024-06-06.