latinx

vendingmachine commented on the word latinx

Latinx is the gender-neutral alternative to Latino, Latina and even Latin@. Used by scholars, activists and an increasing number of journalists, Latinx is quickly gaining popularity among the general public. It’s part of a “linguistic revolution“ that aims to move beyond gender binaries and is inclusive of the intersecting identities of Latin American descendants. In addition to men and women from all racial backgrounds, Latinx also makes room for people who are trans, queer, agender, non-binary, gender non-conforming or gender fluid.

“In Spanish, the masculinized version of words is considered gender neutral. But that obviously doesn’t work for some of us because I don’t think it’s appropriate to assign masculinity as gender neutral when it isn’t,” explains queer, non-binary femme writer Jack Qu’emi Gutiérrez in an interview with PRI. “The ‘x,’ in a lot of ways, is a way of rejecting the gendering of words to begin with, especially since Spanish is such a gendered language.”

Latinx is also, as pointed out by writer Gabe Gonzalez, a way to reclaim identity, a form of rebellion against “the language and legacy of European traditions that were imposed on the Americas.”

--Why People Are Using The Term Latinx.

August 28, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

I do not like it. The ridiculous thing is that once words get adopted by

English they are gender neutral as English does not have a gendered

nominal system. That's even before you consider that grammatical gender

is really only a contrivance; to ascribe grammatical masculinity to a

tree or grammatical femininity to a flower is not indicative of any

intrinsic qualities of the respective plants.

August 28, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

But at last, a visual rhyme for sphinx.

August 28, 2016

madmouth commented on the word latinx

Like fun is English gender neutral! Are we forgetting the -trices?!

August 28, 2016

madmouth commented on the word latinx

I don't especially see how suffix modification undoes euro-colonial legacy while the whole whopping "Latin" remains in there, but I may just be a pedantrix here.

August 28, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

Some nouns that reflect actual human (and animal) roles have had historical male-female binaries, most of which are dropping off the perch. Some of the modern pressure comes from attitudes and some from reductionism IMO.
What pray tell is the grammatical gender of building? narwhal? universe? sadness? English has vestigial remnants of a lot of grammatical shite, including case systems, gender and so on. A few oddities serenading dust-motes in the OED does not a comprehensive gendered nominal system make.

August 28, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

I expect now that all actors and actresses will refer to themselves as actx to avoid the confusion, European hegemony, etc. I think they will need a lozenge.

August 28, 2016

madmouth commented on the word latinx

vestigiality of these categories in English notwithstanding, 'latina' and 'latino' are specifically gendered borrowings. a list of gendered borrowings into English, indeed, would have quite a bit of fodder. its grammar import function is pretty good aye

August 29, 2016

madmouth commented on the word latinx

as for actx, I want it verbed so we can revive the shakespearean ask/axe debate

August 29, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

Foccaccia is a singular feminine noun in Italian but simply singular in English. No one expects native English speakers to know or use the Italian plural foccacce. I'll have a foccaccia please, and one for madmouth. Two foccaccias please. It sounds horrible to an Italian speaker btw; I still can't bring myself to say cappuccinos.

August 29, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HAMLET ON YOUR FOCCACCIA?

August 29, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

What's the plural of latinx anyway? latinxs - latinxes - latinxen - latincex - latinxry - latinxoisie

August 29, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

Latinxoisie And The Banshees playx an exclectic central Americanx crunkunfunk with curiousx notes of genderplural barnyard animalsx (liberated), coconut and minced thesaurusususes.

August 29, 2016

madmouth commented on the word latinx

yes, but hold the Branagh. he's clearly not been held enough as a child

August 29, 2016

TankHughes commented on the word latinx

Why some people choose to call themselves latinx: http://www.latina.com/lifestyle/our-issues/why-we-say-latinx-trans-gender-non-conforming-people-explain

August 30, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

Excellent confirmation that it's a bullshit word in English and in Spanish completely unusable (for the time being, unless you can -x every adjective in the dictionary).

August 30, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

At last, a rhyme for kleenex.

August 30, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

Hey bilby, are you being That Guy On The Internet?

August 30, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

Yep.

August 30, 2016

madmouth commented on the word latinx

"daddy, it's well past midnight"

"I can't sleep! someone on the internet is wrong!"

August 30, 2016

TankHughes commented on the word latinx

you're making me frown, bilby. it's an interesting question in general of how to feel comfortable identifying as gender-expansive (nonbinary) in a gendered language. This particular term helps some people feel better. "-x all words in the dictionary" is reductio ad absurdum and you know it.

It helps them, it doesn't apply to you, why are you putting so much anger on this page? This might be another proposed term like ze or hir that doesn't take off, so you could make fun of it as a neologism, but I don't get why you're making a stand here. Punch up.

August 30, 2016

ruzuzu commented on the word latinx

*wanders in*

Ooh! Is that umbrage? I'll take some--is it vegetarian?

*dives for cover*

August 30, 2016

qms commented on the word latinx

I don’t have strong feelings about latinx (although I do think it utterly lacks charm), but I don’t know what it provides that Latin does not. One of the American Heritage definitions cited in Wordnik is “n. A Latino or Latina.”

August 30, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

I could insist that people address me as Magnum Tricycle Superhighway rather than you/Alan/sir/mate/dude/bilby/etc but it would be nonsense. I could even change my name by deed poll to Magnum Tricycle Superhighway and force others to address me this way...it would 'right' in the sense of being legal, but it would still be nonsense.

Language is a social currency. There's no central bank as such, at least not in English, but there is still a standard of value. New coin has to be meaningful, plausible, useful, novel, even aesthetic to possess value. In my opinion this is only novel and fails the rest. That's my opinion. Some people hate irregardless because of the flawed morphology. I hate this because it's bastardry from top to toe. Frown away. I can't respond to 'punch up' as I have no idea what that means.

August 30, 2016

TankHughes commented on the word latinx

It's not difficult to call people what they want to be called. Sometimes it's a slight personal preference (Steven, not Steve), sometimes it's an affirmation of what someone has worked hard to define themselves as (Tess not Ted). You don't even have to use the marker of latinx. It's not for you. It's for people in the group to define themselves.

I get that it's hypothetically absurd to pick a crazy name without thinking, but thought has gone into this. It helps some people who are in a vulnerable community have a sense of belonging and feel safe. It helps to make a space for a group that is not well known or understood.

Punching up/down are comedy terms.

Punching down is attacking/making fun of people who have less power and are vulnerable, kicking someone when they're down. Punching up is mocking the powerful, exposing them and holding them accountable for their actions through things like satire.

August 31, 2016

madmouth commented on the word latinx

"meaningful, plausible, useful, novel, even aesthetic", just not to that guy on the internet, is still conceivably meaningful, plausible, useful, novel, even aesthetic, n'est-ce pas? Any further novelty umbrage is gonna turn into a fairy tale and its name is Tricycle Magnum Superhighway, the Salty Cracker.

exeunt

August 31, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

you can keep your fad-foppery latinx
while I sob in my kurmudgeonTM kleenex
could not give a rat's tossle
for linguisticrap so colossal
which I hate even more - and you may have noticed the meter has gone out of whack here but that's fine because apparently language only has to be meaningful to me regardless of what you think or understand about the world here in my vulnerable limerick space so I'm okay with that - than Seussian ham and green eggs

bella ciao bella ciao bella ciao ciao ciao

August 31, 2016

alexz commented on the word latinx

I think that what makes a word a 'word' is if people are actually using that word.

I think the media, such as television or newspapers or the Huffington Post have their own leverage in amplifying the usage and acceptance of new words. We seem to notice news articles and headlines when theres a 'new thing' like a cronut or frissant and the curious side of our brain has to know more to avoid missing out on the new thing.

I listed THIS as a word to ban for 2015 https://wordnik.com/lists/words-to-ban-for-2015 , but it seems to have a life of it's own.
Science Friday even featured THIS by having a linguist appear on air and talk about how netspeak is altering language. http://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/how-hashtags-texts-and-tweets-are-influencing-digital-language/

we'll miss you.

August 31, 2016

ruzuzu commented on the word latinx

I like the x because it reminds me of Malcolm X, famous Nebraskan.

August 31, 2016

bilby commented on the word latinx

See also Bogota Mejor Para Todos.

December 15, 2017

bilby commented on the word latinx

What's for dinner tonight? A few tacxx, a burritx with salsx, nachxx or a great big enchiladx with jalapenx? I know these are gringx choices, but hey, I'll wash it down with tequilx.

December 12, 2018