Often in colloquial speech the word "gringo" is found. What it means, many know, but some, despite the prevalence of the term, have certain difficulties when used in speech. In particular, many are interested in the question of whether it carries a negative emotional connotation, whether it is abusive. Let's try to figure this out.
The Spanish-Russian dictionary gives such a translation of the word "gringo" - a foreigner. This word:
- more often means a white foreigner, especially a native of North America;
- most used in colloquial speech between people who do not belong to the "gringo";
- sometimes acts as an appeal to a foreigner.
The specific use and meaning of the word also depends on the country and the situation in which it is used.
Origin history
It is believed that the first use of the word belongs to the Mexicans, and the term has been used since the 19th century. In a written speech, based on data from the Oxford English Dictionary, the word first appeared in 1849 in the Western Journal, a publication by John Odubon. Over time, it began to be used in almost all countries of Latin America.
Historical version
This version arose under the influence of the US-Mexican war, which began in 1846, when US troops invaded the northern lands of Mexico in order to allegedly support their farmers who colonized the Mexican lands decades before and established an almost slave labor system there. Simply put, the army captured and incorporated into the United States these lands (New Mexico and Upper California), where the American colonists lived next door to the local population. At that time, the US military wore a green uniform; Mexicans shouted to them: Green, go home! ("Greens, go away"). Later, green go was reduced to a gringo. According to another version, the word came from mimicking the shouts of the commanders of the American battalions Green, go! (“Greens, go ahead!”).
In the framework of the same version of the war, but in a slightly different version, such a theory of the origin of the word is considered: American soldiers were called "gringos" by the color of their eyes (mainly green or blue), which sharply differed from black-eyed or brown-eyed Mexicans.
True or not, but in any case, the historical version explains why the Americans were called "gringos." It had a derogatory meaning for a long time. They used the word “gringo” (which means “invader”) in their speech in order to humiliate and insult.
Etymological version
Although there is another version of etymologists, according to which the word “gringo” was widely used in Spain, but long before the Mexican-American war. So, in the Castilian dictionary of 1786 it is mentioned for the first time. Scientists are inclined to believe that it came from the Spanish word griego ("Greek"). In those days, the expression “speak Greek” meant the same as Russian “speak Chinese”, that is, it was an idiom for the expression “speak incomprehensibly (in an incomprehensible language)”. And transformed later in "gringo" meant "a foreigner, a visiting person who does not speak Spanish." This version is also supported by the fact that similar expressions exist in other languages, for example, in English that's greek to me (“I don’t understand this, it sounds to me in Greek”).
The meaning of the word in different countries of Latin America
In different countries of Latin America, the meaning of the word undergoes a change: from minor to very significant. So, in Mexico, the word "gringo" means that a person is a resident of the United States, and regardless of his race. In Cuba, in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica, this is the name of any North American.
In Brazil, especially in tourist regions, the word refers to all foreigners who speak English in English from the USA, Canada, Europe, even from other countries of Latin America itself. And in Argentina, this is the name of all fair-haired and white-skinned people, regardless of their citizenship, gringo is almost a synonym for the word “blond”.
Emotional coloring
Depending on the situation in which the word is used, “gringo” can have both a neutral, negative and positive emotional connotation, express both friendliness and hostility, which depends more on facial expressions, intonation, context. You should know that "gringo" also means a whole layer of cultural phenomenon inherent in the countries of Latin America. The famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo called the United States exclusively as "gringolandii".