Talk:Gringo

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[edit] Opening comments

the term gringo is for the usa invader to mexico whit green uniforms we call them (gringos) GRINGOS

"Much of that which is below is inaccurate, excepting the assertion that the etymology traces back until at least the 17th century. The term is a variation on the Greek word, griego, or "foreigner." Hence "esto para los labradores era hablarles en Griego o gerigonça" which mutated to gringo." --

--The explanation above is an example of linguistic Eurocentrism. First of all, the transcription as well as the translation are wrong: “esto para los labradores era hablarles en griego.” First, languages and nationalities are not capitalized in Spanish (i.e. griego, not Griego); second, the translation is “this for the workers was to speak to them in Greek.” The word griego in this context means the Greek language, not foreigner.

I would expect nothing less than a Spaniard linguist to find an obscure reference like this one to link "gringo" to Spain. The Hispanic community is wrought with racial issues; another fine example of Spanish linguistic Eurocentrism is the fact that the Real Academia Espanola first recognized that Latin American Spanish has differences from the peninsular tongue in October of 2005. 2005! Imagine how snotty the British would seem if they first admitted American English is different than the “Queen’s English” two years ago?! I have lived in Spain for near fifteen years and I speak Spanish more often than I do English; Spaniards do not use 'griego' nor 'gringo' for foreigner--nor is it an example of a word that fell out of use. If it were common, where are the other references beyond this one? In fact, it is a word I often need to explain to people here.


I read that the derivation of the term "Gringo", referring to a amercian by Latin Americans, came from the song "Green Grow the Lilacs"¹, which was often sung by US soldiers during the invasion of Mexico just prior to WW I. Any basis in fact, or is this yet another cute folk etymology? And in either case, does it warrant listing in the article?

I always learned that the term barbarian comes from the latin word for beard "barbam" because the tribes outside of rome grew long beards, while for many years it was highly unfashionable for a roman to have facial hair. This ended with Trajan, ironically a roman of celtic (barbarian) origin

No, the word is Greek, not Latin. It's a bit of a guess as to what exactly the point of the word is; a sneer at unintelligible speech is as good a guess as any. (Once you've decided that the barba part is the Latin word for "beard", the rest of the form is unanalyzable in terms of Latin morphology. Latin does have words with a noun-building suffix in -ro- but it's not productive in Classical Latin and I imagine largely invisible to the Romans themselves who, surely, didn't realized that a word like mūrus "wall" has a suffix *-ro-.) Alsihler 17:52, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

¹Or maybe "Green Grow the Rushes-O", a Scots song. Jor 14:15, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)


The song is Irish and the term is also suppose to come from the San Patricios. The San Patricio FYI (As it most likely wasn't in your history book) http://www.vivasancarlos.com/patrick.html http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/qis1.html http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1955/4/1955_4_20.shtml

The following is from Joan Corominas's Diccionario Crítico Etimológico Castellano e Hispánico:
esto para los labradores era hablarles en Griego o gerigonça. 1615 Quijote II.
In the 18th and 19th century, the word appears deformed as gringo, desde Terr.[?]:
gringos llaman en Málaga a los estranjeros, que tienen cierta especie de acento, que los priva de una locución fácil y natural Castellana, y en Madrid dan el mismo nombre con particularidad a los irlandeses"
Applied to people, also in Estébanez Calderón (no pocos gringos y extranjeros) and Emilia Pardo-Bazán (más vale una chula que treinta gringas)
--Error 00:42, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC)

When I was in Chile, I was given an explanation that combined the Mexican-American war and Brazilian examples: The American soliders occupying Mexico city wore green and the locals yelled at them "Green, go!" Also, I was told that "gringo" specifically applies to persons from the USA because they call the US "los Estados Unidos" and the term for a person from "los EU" is very long and clumsy (I never learned it properly, but it is something like "estadounitiense"). AdamRetchless 13:45, 9 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Estadounidense. Yes, it is a little long. — Chameleon
... and no better than the most common term I've heard, Norteamericano, which is humorous to me since Mexicans and Canadians should also be called that but they're not. I am careful never to call myself an "Americano", but the most common term I've heard people use around here (Eastern US) for me is, paradoxically, "Americano." I think the activists have made us more paranoid than we need to be. [[User:Fool4jesus]|Fool4jesus]]

Actually my sources have an alternative and cuter explanation for the term gringo.

It seems that the Mexicans may have based the term on a misunderstanding of a popular north american song. The song was either "Green Grow the Rushes, Oh!" or "Green Grow the Lilacs" (itself based on the Scottish song "Green Grows the Laurel" and about an American solidier's love of a Mexican woman). The listening Mexicans could only make out the first few syllables, "Green Gro" and used it as a term of abuse.

Opinion is divided as to what period the term stems from. Either from the days of cowboys in south Texas, or during US army efforts to find Pancho Villa.

Gringo from greek!! -> Completely wrong!!

Again, the usage of the term in Spain goes way before either Pancho or Texas. I seriously doubt it was invented independently here in Latin America. [[User:Fool4jesus]|Fool4jesus]]

It does not apply to white skinned people either. In mexico a gringo can be black, chinese, white, yellow or blue... the only requirement is to be comming from the USA. Sometimes British people are mistaken by gringos, but once that it is clear where they come from the nickname gringo does not apply anymore.

Gringo does not come either from the song... Imagine the time of the American invasion to Mexico **american music being sang or broadcasted via Radio! No!

As per the history learnt and the old people in Mexico, the accurate definition comes from nationals from Mexico shouting "green go" to the invaders as they were using green soldier clothes. +green go+ GRINGO < the way it sounds in Spanish.

[edit] Etymology

Gringo from Greek? Never heard this before. Never heard a Spanish speaking person of any country remfer to an incomprehensible language as "griego" I bet ALL Latin Americans when confronted with a foreign language or characters have the same reaction: "That's 'chino' (Chinese)" not griego!?

Uh, well, MY Spanish dictionary gives as one of the meanings of griego "unintelligible speech". That's pretty straightforward. I've been told that there's a verb that goes with it, griegar "to speak unintelligibly" but Cuyás doesn't have it. Alsihler 18:04, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

I Don't understand why a poorly reasoned etymology is placed as the preferred origin of a word. Then present a "fake etymology" with a lengthy explanation including historical facts.

Read above, the usage goes as far as Quijote. Corominas is the authority on Spanish etimology. And there is the Shakesperean That's Greek to me. -- Error 01:37, 20 Nov 2004 (UTC)
Time out. In the Shakespeare passage, from Julius Caesar, Greek means Greek. In Act 1 scene 2 Casca is describing an (offstage) assembly at which, he says, Cicero addressed the crowd in Greek. He relates that those who understood were entranced, but he couldn't say more because (after all) it was Greek. It hath become proverbial, butas is often the case in quotations, in a slightly skewed sense from the original. [Note: addressing a public gathering in Greek would be an unlikely event in Rome; upper crust Romans were universally steeped in Greek language and culture, but were jealous of Latin. Cicero got into trouble once for addressing the Syracusan assembly in Greek when, as an emissary of Rome, he should have stuck to Latin.]Alsihler 18:04, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

12/23/06-No, Corominas isn't "the" authority on the spanish language. First of all he is catalan from spain. I think i trust the mexicans more to explain a word that they made popular. Even if the word does originate from a few hundred years ago in spain, which it probably doesnt, it is not the same as the current usage in latin america. The most reasonable explanation for the word is the "green go" explanation.

It seems to me that the fact that the word was used in Spain hundreds of years earlier than Mexico IS important, unless you are making the claim that the word was invented completely independently on both sides of the Atlantic. That seems doubtful to me, especially since the usage in American Spanish is not that much different than the usage in Peninsular. Sure, there are nuances of difference, but that seems much more likely to have come about through isolated usage of the same root word, not completely different formulations. I mean, use a reasonableness test: if somebody came up to you and said "I just made up the word computer to refer to a Blackberry, but it has no relation to the other English word of the same sound and spelling" would you think the argument reasonable? Fool4jesus 17:42, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

"Never heard a Spanish speaking person of any country remfer to an incomprehensible language as "griego": One reason for this is that the supposed etymology would be much more ancient. I understand that the The word "greek" or "grecian" is derived from Latin and originally meant "foreign", rather than being specific to the Hellenic states. This meaning did survive in a number of romance languages. The "green coat" theory sounds much paler to me, for one thing it seems unlikely that a localized war would result in such a generalized epithet.

"Gringo" meaning light skinned? I have never heard the word "gringo" used in such a neutral way: it always connotates nationality (usually U.S., often Canadian, sometimes any predominantly white-European foreign nation). It sounds as though somebody has confused the word "gringo" with "güero".

The Diccionario de la Real Academia Española doesn't provide an etymology, it just says that it is "debated" [1]. I don't think the "griego" story should be presented as a fact, if apparently an authority such as RAE doesn't buy it. Itub 18:33, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
As far as etymology's concerned, the RAE are amateurs alongside Corominas. María Moliner is happy with the "griego" explanation, too. It might not be 100% certain, but it does seem the most likely alternative. –Hajor 18:44, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

This line is quite unclear and appears to be redundant, removed 14:33, 30 May 2006 (UTC):

Edit 21:55, 27 May 2006 201.145.108.67
Also is important to say, that in Mexico was used as "Green Go" that is pronounced in spanish as "gringo", this was used by people that dislike american soldiers.

I'm sorry, this article is very biased to one possible scenario. Who is keeping such a tight grip on this entry that other informed scholars cannot edit it? I support the dispute of this article's neutrality. I have no political issue with the term (where I work as an anthropologist the term is MUCH more nuanced than this article states, so others should be able to edit the article). Is there any way for me to further my support of the dispute over neutrality?Chunchucmil 23:59, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

"I have no political issue with the term" -- Does that mean you don't know much about it? If you have a reliable source that accepts any of the popular etymologies as factual, then present it. Otherwise, read this: "Equal weight" is not Neutral. FilipeS 00:05, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

I completely agree with FilipeS. What I (and others) need to do is to cite all of the references that provide alternative etymologies. However, such edits should then be accepted, not as "false" etymologies, but alternative etymologies. While my research deals with terms much older than "gringo" (largely Pre-Columbian or early Colonial Mesoamerica), I honestly do not believe that the etymology of this term is as fixed as is intimated by this article.Chunchucmil 00:20, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

Permit me to make an observation. I have heard many examples of words which have etymologies that claim somebody came in speaking another language, somebody either misheard or intentionally mispronounced the word/phrase, and that's how we got the word. I don't think I've ever heard one of those types of etymologies that was correct, whether Jolly Roger or Cecil Adams's well-known example of [Antoinette]. So, "Green Go" may be a possible etymology, but based on the other etymologies I've investigated, it just doesn't sound plausible to me. Fool4jesus 17:42, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

The word was not born because of the "Green Grows..." song, nor the "Green+go" theory, because the Mexican-American War was fought from 1846 to 1848, and "gringo" is documented in Argentina as early as 1840:
Salió el gringo, como pudo, después, a la orilla, más con la apariencia de un demonio tostado por las llamas del infierno que de un hombre blanco pelirrubio. (Esteban Echeverría, "El Matadero", Leonor Fleming, Madrid:Cátedra, 1995, p. 106 and others)
and 1845:
Desgraciadamente, añade el buen gringo, prefirieron su independencia nacional, a nuestros algodones y muselinas. (Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Facundo. Civilización y barbarie, Roberto Yanhi, Madrid:Cátedra, 1993, p.65).
I'm mexican and I've exclusively heard "griego" to mean "stanger/different/difficult" from foreigners. As someone said before, the normal word for that meaning here would be "chino" (chinese). How come that a 1600's "griego" is considered equivalent to a 1800's "gringo"?
There are derived words as "gringada" and "Gringolandia" (also "Gabacholandia").
Finally, I promise you that the use is not predominantly racist, it rather refers in many cases to a geographical-linguistical-economical difference with our people.--Rosaura Silva 05:00, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Intent is irrelevant. The politically correct crowd often argues that its not what YOU mean, but how it is interpreted.

Both intent and interpretation are irrelevant to this discussion of etymology. FilipeS 17:26, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Applications

Two details I guess could be included in the article:

1. In Brazil, the term is usually understood as a synonym for "foreigner", but it's preferably applied to North-Americans (U.S. and Canada) and Europeans. It is especially used when refering to a particular physical appearence, namely tourists with transparent-white skin, usually already reddish from exposure to the sun. In that context, Germans, Scandinavians and North-Americans are the main "target". Although the expression is not pejorative, people do avoid saying it to a foreigner, as they use it only when talking about them. The term is usually not applied to citizens of Latin American countries, if the locals happen to know the place of origin of a foreigner, even if they too are transparent-white.

2. In Mexico, the United States are jocosely dubbed "Gringolandia", a pun with "gringo" and "Disneyland" (Disneylandia in Spanish), the former being an association with people from the U.S. and the latter with the country itself.

Regards, Redux 05:59, 24 Dec 2004 (UTC)

3. Currently in the American Southwest I have noticed that 'Anglo' is a bit less complementary than 'Gringo.' This was referred in a documentary on Los Angeles and I'm aware of it here in northern New Mexico where I do construction with both hispanic Nortenos and Mexicans, as well as other Latin Americans. In the Los Angeles documentary the 'anglos' were the 'ricos' of 'West LA' whereas 'gringos' were just other working stiffs of European descent. I'd be interested if others are aware of this pattern.

4.The story I was told, and I will repeat it as a curiosity only, is that in the late eighteen hundreds Colonel William Green bought mining rights in Cananea, in the northern part of Sonora, 40 miles from the US border. After a few years of explotation,in 1906, the Mexican workers decided to strike. conflict followed and then 25 miners were killed by gunfire.During later demonstrations people chanted "Green Go!"; meaning "Colonel Green, Go Home". People ignorant of the english language heard this and repeated the words as "gringo!". Perhaps in a derogative fashion. However, as a Mexican myself, I have never used the word in a pejorative way nor do I remember anybody using it as an insult, but mostly to describe a white north American.


[edit] "Green go"?

Gringo comes from "green go" and used for reference to American soldiers during the Mexican-American War since their uniforms were of color green. The standard uniform of regular U.S. Army soldiers in that war was BLUE, not green. The various State militias, who made up a large portion of the United States' order of battle, wore a wide variety of different "uniforms". Quite a few units even had no standard issue clothing. So it would seem Green Go is a NO GO, at least as far as uniforms are concerned.--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 21:54, 6 December 2005 (UTC)

  • Don't sweat disproving the 'green go' etymology because etymolgists have been trying to do so for years and certain people would rather believe in a ridiculous folk etymology, especially one which reinforces the type of cultural pride which use of the racist term is meant to elicit...like all racial slurs. I don't think the bolding of , the US Army did not use green uniforms, but blue ones is necessary since the whole thing is listed under 'folk' i.e. 'not true' etymology.--Hraefen 18:19, 12 January 2006 (UTC)
    • Careful about saying 'Folk' is 'not true' in all forms. *mutters under breath* 15:03, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
  • If it was 'true', it would not be 'folk,' it's usually a pretty simple determination. What some people believe is the truth about a word's origin is often proved not to be true, but some people cling to the wrong derivation for various reasons. This is not to say that folk etymology isn't a powerful force in semantic change and etymology in general. Folk etymologies are kinda like myths: most people don't believe that they're true (although some do), yet they still have the power to move our moral imaginations.--Hraefen Talk 15:14, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] My friends & I use the term

We allways refer to people that are of european(white) ancestry.

Well, there are different uses. Here in Argentina, I'm of european ancestry, but nobody calls me a gringo. We just call people from the U.S. gringos. Slartibartfast1992 21:54, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

I agree not only that we hardly use Gringo at all. We use Yankee much more often and even still does not mean ""anyone of European descent"" since most of all Argentines are of European Descent. We use Yankee with people who are only from the US. (XGustaX 16:08, 20 May 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Emminent Gringos

What's up with this section? Why are the two names listed more eminent than the other hundreds of millions of gringos? I think the section should be deleted. Itub 13:18, 12 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Gabacho

I heard on the radio (NPR) a Mexican-American saying that Mexicans use the term 'gabacho' to refer to Americans, more often than they use 'gringo'. Can you confirm? If so, I think that this fact has a place in the article. ike9898 01:04, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

  • I live in Mexico, and we definitely use more often the word "Gringo" rather than "gabacho". This is in central and south Mexico. makeyourself 01:01, 4 March 2007 (UTC)
  • I am from Spain, where "gabacho" is used to refer to French nationals only
  • I am from Spain too and "gabacho" is only used to refer French speakers User:Cidfadon

[edit] The mere form of talk here proves one thing...

Nobody here knows a hheap of shit. In Mexicom, amercians' are scorned at and considetred 'Gringo', and somehow inferior. Also compare to militant mexican culture in the United states brought by the human migratory patterns bnears the southern amercian border.

Furthermore I have heard the term used as a negattive within the last three monthw, go listen to ctalk on the streets of LA.

[edit] The G Word

The term 'Gringo' is also used as a racial slur in the US. --70.225.67.134 00:02, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Gringo is an offensive racial slur

Gringo is understood by the people it is used to describe as an offensive and insulting racial slur. It is no less offensive than the use of the word "[censored]".

It seems odd to me that the opening sentence of the article describes the word as 'racist', since the article goes on to say repeatedly that the word is often used quite innocuously. I.e. it is only sometimes racist. Hence I think the word 'racist' should be removed from the opening sentence, or at least clarified. 217.155.116.125 13:19, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
I agree. I depends on the intent of the person using it. It is similar to refering to someone a "Jew"; that is not necessarily offensive, but manner that some people use it makes it offensive. ike9898 16:35, 3 May 2006 (UTC)
I think the offensiveness of these terms is decided by those they are used against. In Australia the word abo is considered highly offensive by indigenous people yet many white Australians are unaware of this because they see it as just an abbreviation for aborigine. Another case is the term Third World. Even though it merely means those nations not aligned with either the United States of America nor the Soviet Union during the cold war, it is considered offensive enough these days that it is labeled politically incorrect and other terms such as developing nations are reccommended. — Hippietrail 23:38, 13 May 2006 (UTC)
In Brazil at least, in my experience, gringo is most often not offensive at all; it just means foreigner or maybe, more specifically, the typical foreigner who comes to the country as a tourist: someone who is very light-skinned and/or from a first-world country. In fact, I have even heard it used as a good thing, in slang. For example, if a certain product is of very good quality, it can be said that it "is gringo"; this, in analogy to a product being imported, and supposedly better than a domestically-produced item -- even if the product in question is not really imported. Please note, though, that I don't know how widespread this specific slang usage is; I'm just using it to illustrate that gringo is not necessarily (and I would guess rarely) pejorative (in Brazil).
But, of course, as it's been said, it could always be used in a negative way, depending on the context -- for example, if you are talking about something where foreigners are seen negatively. I could think, of for example, someone saying that someone else "plays football like a gringo", as Brazilians in general see themselves as better footballers than pretty much anyone else, and especially than the people who are usually identified with the word gringo. But I guess even in that case it's not the word that carries a bad connotation. --Cotoco 15:02, 31 May 2006 (UTC)
As briefly noted in this article, people in Brazil may occasionally use 'gringo' in a complementary way, but in Northern Latin America (Mexicans, Central Americans), the word 'gringo' is certainly not used as a term of endearment. It is an epithet. To be sure, it's an unthinking one for most people who use the term. But it's an epithet, nonetheless. To suggest otherwise is disingenuous. It's surprising that a term so loaded with such obvious racial and nationalistic connotations could be passed off as 'innocuous' by any serious observer. (Just because it easily rolls off the tongues of some people, that doesn't make it any less racial, and thus offensive.)
From what I've read, it's not done "occasionally", but almost always. The negative connotation of "gringo" in north and central America seems to be the exception. Let's remember how much larger South America is than northern and central Latin America, please. FilipeS 15:36, 22 August 2006 (UTC)
The term is highly offensive. We who are offended get to make that decision, not you apologists for the users of the racist epithet.BulldogPete

If you get offended, that's entirely by your own choice. The word is not intrinsically derogatory as commonly used by native speakers (as opposed to ignorant, paranoid foreigners), much less racist (LOL!), so please quit editing the article to insert that falsehood, or you shall be reported. FilipeS 13:52, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

As the article states (right now at least), gring is a derrogative term only depending on the context. The word doesn't imply anything besides the fact that certain person is from USA (in Mexico at least). Most of the time it's used for the lack of words in Spanish for "American". To us "Americano" would mean from the continent of America. "Norte Americano" from North America. And "Estadounidense"... that's just too long. Hence, gringo. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 201.141.209.10 (talk) 01:06, 4 March 2007 (UTC).
Gringo is not a racial slur, and it shouldn't be considered as one, and as FilipeS stated it's your problem if you have the nerve to get offended. But, keep in mind it can be, only if used in context. Nothing else would symbolize it as being a racial slur

For 8 months (2nd december 2005 to 18th July 2006) myself and two friends (all british, two of us fair skinned) cycled from Tijuana, through Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. For those 8 months we are consistently mocked, jeered, grunted at, pointed at, laughed at, ALL THE TIME BEING LABELLED GRINGOS. If that is not racist, i dont know what is. "Gringo!, Gringo! Gringo!" for 8 MONTHS. i excuse the 3 year old children at the side of the road who used it and pointed at us because even though they were learning fast, they clearly didnt know better. The word may be used affectionately and we could tell the difference some times but for 80% of the time it was a slur. To us, the word meant "hey, look you're a gringo!" like it was a bad thing. because it was used the laughter, pointing, mocking..."blimey, you're a gringo! i feel so sorry for you!"....

...my girlfriend she started referring to me as her gringuito until i told her that i took offense to it. I TAKE HUGE OFFENSE to it. why not just say "Hola!" why make the distinction....why didnt the people of latin america just say "Hola, como están?" o "Como te va?" their gringo shouts were never accompanied by a Hello or similar question. it is hugely offensive....can you imagine what would happen if three spaniards cycled 3500 miles across the US and every single person shouted "[censored]!" as they went past?

Your point being...? It's interesting how even your girlfriend innocently called you "gringo", until you shut her up with your ignorant oversensitity. I couldn't come up with better proof that the word is not inherently offensive if I tried! FilipeS 19:17, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
What would be interesting is to know why people were jeering at you as this sounds very unusual, though perhaps your attitude to the term explains in part why people were reacting to you, but it doesnt fully explian it. It makes Latin America sound like a place unfriendly to Gringos which it absolutely is not for the great majority of people. Wierd, SqueakBox 21:51, 29 April 2007 (UTC)
(To the unsigned comment) Sorry for the unpleasant experience, but maybe you and your friends are taking this word too seriously. Usualy, when "fair skinned" people come to México, or any other place in Latin America for that matter, they're treated quite nicely by the locals, because they're usualy believed to be loaded with cash (this is specially true in beach resorts or similar places). Even in places when this may not be so (like large capital cities) it's highly unlikely to find people like the ones you described, blatantly hostile to blondes/redheads/whatever. To tell you the truth, it's very hard for me to believe what you posted; It's just not plausible that every single time you entered a new town you guys were harrased just by being "fair skinned". It just doesn't work that way here; read other comments in this talk page: Latin American people doesn't think in terms of "race". Racism it's just not that rampant here. Sorry to be blunt, but this is not the US! 189.192.88.35 00:36, 5 May 2007 (UTC) Corrigiendo nomás

Hello again, I am the original whinger who made the above post. It is not surprising to read filipe's comment and I stand by everything i wrote. For the other two posts, i would like to add that our experience in latin america was overwhelmingly a positive one. people from all the countries we visited were incredibly friendly and many very generous. Our attitude was nearly always positive, we spoke to the locals as much as possible and those that did more than grunt and shout at us were very nice people. yet, what i am trying to say above is that the overall memory and feeling we took from latin america was one of grunts, jeers and cries of "gringo" for 8 months. obviously it had a lot to do with us being on bikes, not being in a tourist bus, etc. we were "available" to the people. what i am sensitive about is that there were just too many instances of "gringo" said in bad blood. even happy go lucky truck drivers, smiling broadly, waving out of the window etc (i.e. in a very friendly manner and in a completely non-hostile manner) who shouted "Gringo!" just added to our "gringo fatigue" because of the bad times. we were drowned in it, and our over sensitivity spread over such a long time, when probably only 1 in 3 gringo shouts were hostile, caused us to shutdown and take offense. i have read and agree with a lot of the posts on this subject, of the non hostile use of the word etc, but interestingly my opinion of latin america has changed as a result of the bike trip. its a great shame. everytime someone refers to me as a gringo in buenos aires (in a cariñoso way) its hard not to think back to mexico (or wherever) and visual the people "taking the piss".... what a shame.. james wilson... wilsj76@gmail.com

A great shame indeed. I find the illusions people hold about me as a gringo far more difficult to cope with than any alleged insults (oh he's a gringo, he must be rich etc), SqueakBox 19:57, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
So even you didn't think the word was really a slur. Thanks for the information. FilipeS 19:49, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Spaniards are not Latin Americans therefore that does not apply to them. Latin Americans are completely different to say [censored] to them it just stupid. (XGustaX 19:53, 20 May 2007 (UTC))

Indeed, large parts of Latin America are entrenched in the third world, SqueakBox 19:57, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
Having recently returned from Venezuala I found that the word gringo was used there almost exclusively as a racial slur, I think we should add that it is a very negative word in some S. American countries. Gtadoc 05:31, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cumbersome

The article says while the more specific term "estadounidense" ("one from the United States") is somewhat cumbersome to pronounce. Cumbersome? I find the term long and boring to pronounce but not ackward at all. Of course it is my opinion, so i want some feedback (from other spanish native speakers, please) about this statement. baloo_rch 01:18, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

i think cumbersome to pronounce is a fair characterization. of course this tidbit is open to an individual's opinion but as a spanish native speaker i think that this is a fair description. uri budnik 20:42, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

Rather than talking about "cumbersomeness" (is this cumbersome enough?), it would be better to say that "gringo" is shorter than "estadunidense".

But that still does not go to the heart of the matter. The fact is that it's simply not true that the word "gringo" was coined for US citizens, or WASPS, or other Anglo-Saxons. It has a broader sense than that. The article is still misleading about this. FilipeS 15:42, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Green Go

I´m Mexican, my grandfather says that when the US army came to mexico a long time ago, mexicans not knowing english lenguage, wrote on the walls, like graffiti paints GREEN GO (thinking that means "green go away"), the used the color green because they got green eyes, and wear green uniforms.

  • See section 3 above. This is a thoroughly discredited etymology, but it is addressed in the article because it is so widely believed. The word gringo was in Spain before Spaniards came to the New World. You'd think this would be eveidence enough to discredit this theory, but alas...--Hraefen Talk 15:15, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

In section 3 above, I see not a date before 1615. The first reference to the term "gringo" (not griego") is dated in the XVIII century. Well post-Columbus. Furthermore, I see no connection at all between both terms. I wholeheartly agree that the common reference in Spanish for incomprehensive foreign language is "chino". Frankly, Cervantes litarary style cannot be considered that of the folk. On the other hand, in Venezuela, my home country, "gringo" is any American, in a completely non derogative way. In the 50's and 60's it was widely regarded as a Mexican term.

[edit] Languages

I will put Portuguese (It englobes all portuguese wether be european, brazilian...) instead of Brazilian portuguese because at least where I come from (north of Portugal) we use Gringo to refer to foreigners, especially Anglos.

My dad is portuguese from Lisbon I think, and he calls me and my mom a gringo/ga all the time and he always said it ment stupid man/woman.

[edit] Race irrelevant.

Why do some people insist on making distinctions of "white"/"non-white" when discussing cultural interactions of Latin and Anglo Americas? Contrary to popular belief, not every single person from Tiajuana to Tierra del Fuego is of Mestizo extraction. Latin America's population is incredibly diverse, with ancestries European, Indigenous, and African all well-represented. "Gringo" is a term I've heard used by Latin Americans of all colours to describe Anglo Americans of all colours.

From what I've read, you are quite right. The article is still too "Anglocentric" (in the US's sense of "Anglo"). FilipeS

It's not used in that way in Argentina and Uruguayat least so I change "It is used in "Latin America" for "it's used in some countries of L. AMerica"

I agree not only that but most Argentines and I believe Uruguayans too use Yankee and not Gringo. (XGustaX 16:13, 20 May 2007 (UTC))

[edit] "In Central America, the word is not pejorative, and sometimes is used to American expatriates to refer to themselves. "

In Central America, the term most certainly IS pejorative, and is wielded in exactly the same way "spic" might be against a Mexican.

Please source your claim which I find bizarre, 18:43, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

That some expatriates use it does not prove its innocuousness. Many blacks refer to themselves as "niggers," but this does little to render this term innocent.BulldogPete 04:01, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

It's a mistake to assume that all words which may on occasion be used despectively are as negative as "nigger". For example, "bitch" is one such word in English: possibly derogatory, though not necessarily so, but I think you'll agree it's not as strong an insult as "nigger". My impression is that foreigners tend to interpret local slang in an excessively negative way, disproportionate with how those terms are actually used by native speakers. FilipeS 14:36, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
Let's be honest: it's not a term of endearment. And the writer's assertion that it is "not pejorative" is certainly a matter of opinion -- and clearly a matter to be debated -- and something that does not belong in an article here stated as fact. BulldogPete 02:30, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

I disagree that whether a word is pejorative is a matter of opinion. That sort of thing can be checked in a dictionary. That said, I am not particularly familiar with Central America. You may be right that the word is invariably an insult there. It isn't so everywhere, though. FilipeS 02:44, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

lol. It is not, IMO, used exclusively as an insult in Central America, mas bien its just used as a descriptive word, like black not nigger. I await some sources as the only way to resolve this, SqueakBox 18:43, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

While I was in Honduras, as a "gringo", I heard it used both perjoratively, and amicably. Much more often it was used in a friendly way.

Sure, and I have a book where an old Southern farmer says "Now the niggers got liquored up every night -- now, I don't mean nothing by that term." So he used "nigger" "amicably," but I think this would do little to comfort blacks who heard the conversation.BulldogPete 12:27, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

You know central America? The difference is that "gringos dont feel either threatened or racially abused by this term any more than blacks do in the US if they are called blacks, Afro-Americans etc, and to compare Gringo to nigger is an unfair comparison, SqueakBox 17:05, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

The assumption that "gringo" is just like "nigger" does seem to be a common ethnocentric prejudice in Americans. Or perhaps it's that gringo is indeed like "nigger" in American culture. But not so elsewhere. All cultures are not equal. FilipeS 17:34, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

As an anthropologist, I must state that words can be used in various contexts with various intentions and meanings. We should not allow a single meaning of such "slang" to be canonized by a single context. In Yucatan (Mexico), for instance, there is a difference between urban and rural contexts. In the rural areas, among Maya farmers and hunters, gringo is used as the Maya replacement for "Chel" (light skinned person, no matter what nationality). But in the urban areas, it is used as a prejorative term for Americans.Chunchucmil 00:12, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

Listen Im puertorican and I have been reading this article since the beging and frankly Im getting pissed off at all the people not knowing what the word gringo even means and puting there comment in.it doesnt mean anything more than a person of non latin american decent. In puerto rico there is a ton of people all of diffrent colors shapes and sizes somtimes even in the same family. In latin america racism is nearly non-existant because of this and I have a brother who is the blackest person you could ever meet and yet I call him gringo. Am I being racist to him ? no. I think all of you who take it offensive are being ignorant. Latin america is not the U.S where words like Spic and Nigger exist when was the last time you went to latin america and saw a cleaning product named after interratial couples. Youll never see Gringo and nigger on the shelves of a latin bodega.

[edit] This article is pathetically biased. "Gringo" is a virulently racist term of hate.

Were this not a term used primarily to tar whites, the tenor of this article would be far different.

All of a sudden, the "intent" of the speaker is important, rather than the word. Never mind that the etymologies of "spic" and "gringo" are very similar. Gringo="greek" as in "wow, I don't understand what those weird foreign guys are saying."

"Spic"="spiggody" as in "You don't speak-a-dee English? I don't understand what you're saying."

Gringo = racist links:

I am brazilian and here the word "gringo" is used to any foreigner, from any country, not only U.S.. And it is not offensive, the portuguese word "extrangeiro" is harder to talk than "gringo", we use "gringo" as a simple abbreviation, not pejorative.
Gringo on list of racist terms. [[2]]
"And I would point out that 'Gringo' is also a racial slur against White people by the hispanics!!! Why do we allow the racist term Gringo to be used against us without an outrage and a demand for the hispanics to stop using it??" [[3]]
"I as a white american consider 'gringo' to be a racist term." [[4]]
Gringo is used by the racist hate group MEChA. "In the spirit of a new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical heritage but also of the brutal 'gringo' invasion of our territories..."
"By the way, if you think that 'gringo' is a term of brotherly affection, you are wrong. It is not an insult on the level of 'wetback' but is on a par with 'spick' which is not acceptable speech by any 'gringo.'" ttp://www.anklebitingpundits.com/content/?p=1217#comment-31791
"A racist term used by Mexicans and other hispanics referring to Americans - a hateful term used frequently and commonly." [[5]]
"I just wanted to comment that GRINGO is a racist term... same as beaner, or the N word... so if you say gringo yet claim to not be racist.... guess what you are?" [[6]]
From http://www.answers.com/topic/gringo:
grin·go (grĭng'gō) pronunciation
n. Offensive Slang., pl. -gos.
Used as a disparaging term for a foreigner in Latin America, especially an American or English person.
[Spanish, foreign, foreign language, gibberish, probably alteration of griego, Greek, from Latin Graecus. See Greek.]
WORD HISTORY In Latin America the word gringo is an offensive term for a foreigner, particularly an American or English person.

Let's stop the bias and call this hateful term what it is: racist.87.117.199.130

You shouldn't assume that everyone is as negative as yourself. :-) FilipeS 20:51, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Let me make it clear that I personally, and I am sure most Europeans and Australasians as well, would be far more offended to be called an Americano than to be called a Gringo, and the default mistake of thinking all westerners belonmg to the US causes far more damage than the word Gringo, SqueakBox 02:26, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, I am European, and I would not feel offended it I were ever mistaken for an American. I think the problem with the word "gringo" is that it can sometimes be used derogatorily. But this is true of many words. If you say "that f*** son of a b***", you're using the word "son" derogatorily, but that doesn't mean that "son" is, in general, a slur.
Another possible problem is that I suspect the Latino communities inside the U.S. may give the word a more negative sense than it has in many Latin American countries.
Which brings me to another point; how Americans seem to have a tendency to assume that any (possible) slur ir race-based. See the article by the American expat who lives in Brazil, at the bottom of the article. While "gringo" may have racial overtones (because people of certain races are more easily identified as foreigners in Latin America), it is definitely not a racial notion, at least as used in a large part of L.A. FilipeS 12:22, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

Here in Costa Rica the term 'Gringo' and 'Gringa' are definitely NOT offensve. North Americans, including myself, refer to each other using the term while Europeans are distinguish by referencing their particuliar nationality. Native Costa Ricans proudly refer to themselves as Tico or Tica and encourage the expats living here to use the terms. It all works quite nicely and no one is offended. Frankly, I'm rather proud to live in here and be ID'ed as 'gringo'. Woldbrook 16:45, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

Certainly for me being called a Gringo is to do with my European and British heritage and the fact that I speak Spanish with a pronounced foreign accent. It certainly isnt to do with being white as there are many white people here who are natives to this part of the world, speak Spanish as their first language, etc, SqueakBox 16:56, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

Gringo is racist? Most gringos I know, particularly those who live in Latin America or interact with Latin Americans in Los Angeles, are pretty comfortable with the term and accept their gringo status with good humor. There is, of course, resentment of gringos when they act superior, hypocritical, politically arrogant or boorish. But, more often than not, Latin Americans like their gringos and never tire of saying something like, "We like you gringos/norteamericanos but not your government." To refer to fair complexion, Mexicans typically use huero, Salvadorans say chele, Peruvians say colorado or blancón. In Latin America, there are hundreds of different terms and nicknames to describe someone's coloring. Yes, Latin Americans might use their own color profiling norms to make an assumption that someone is a gringo. But, most Latin Americans are sophisticated in reading color within a range of mostly cultural and social variables. Some two-fifths of Latin Americans consider themselves to be white, and yet those blancos are just as likely to call the norteamericano a gringo while never imagining that the term could apply to themselves. Those who claim gringo is a "virulently racist term of hate" have been listening to too much talk radio. The reference to MECHA above is a giveaway. Especially in Los Angeles, there is some hysterical, politically motivated agitation against students who belong (or belonged) to campus MECHA chapters and against teachers and families associated with a culturally innovative charter school. I happen to know some of the founders of the school, and critics are way off base. When nativists claim that Chicano or Latino identity or politics is racial, they often misundrstand what Latin Americans mean by the Spanish terms "raza" and "racismo." I teach comparative race relations (Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Bolivia, Dominican Republic and US), and the distinction between race and raza, or rasicm and racismo, is important. In Mexico, for example, the term "raza cósmica" refers to a culture that supposedly transcends race. Most Mexicans know that there is plenty of color prejudice in their society, but they don't assign people to specific "races" or try to use a color line in the U.S. manner. When Bolivians refer to someone's "raza," they are making a cultural (not color) distinction. In the north Peruvian highlands, there are groups of Indians who are blond and blue eyed. No one would ever call them gringos. Because the talk radio and anti-immigrant demagogues can only understand "race" as it exists in their own consciousness and U.S. usage (and probably also because they racialize Latin Americans), they perceive "raza" and "gringo" as U.S.-style racial categories. The best analogy for gingo that I can think of is the Hawaiian term "haole." Yes, it can be used in a derogatory or semi-racial way, but its origins in "foreigner" are not called into question. Almost all haoles in Hawaii refer to themselves as haoles. Many, if not most, also recognize that native Hawaiians have legitimate historical and cultural reasons for resenting haole dominance of land and economy. The few haoles who get all agitated about Hawaiian "racism" toward them are usually recent arrivals from California who have little cultural understanding or empathy. Haoles would much rather be called haoles than "white people." Hawaiians sometimes argue about how broad to make haole (for example, whether or not Japanese Hawaiians are haoles), but their usage is predominantly cultural. Someone in Hawaii can be fair complexioned, have an English last name and a mother who was mostly of Portuguese ancestry, yet no one will call them a haole. I agree with the comment above that there are much worse things than gringo that Latin Americans can call a Yanqui. A Latin American boyfriend or husband might call their U.S. partner "mi gringuita." But a Latin American would never use gringa to speak of his locally-born partner just because she is white. It is nationality, not phenotype. For these reasons I believe the main Wikipedia entry is a job well done. It should not surprise that many Mexicans have nationalistic or folkloric beliefs about the term's origins. That does not make them correct etymologically, but it does clarify current usage. Yankees entering Mexico to wage war or own business got into conflict with Mexicans. Songs, uniforms, color of money, linguistic misunderstandings: all seem to be cultural stories, some self-deprecating, that Mexicans tell about their reaction to the foreigners coming from the north. When a few whites complain that they are not allowed to call Mexicans "beaners," and therefore resent being referred to as "gringos," they are revealing more about themselves than they imagine. lastudies 31 January 2007.

What people don't understand is that not many countries are as "race and ethnicity sensitive" as USA. Racism isn't really a problem in Mexico (like classism or sexism). Yes, racism exists to some extent here, but it's nothing compared to racism in USA. Ethnicity, nationality or color of skin don't mean much in Mexico. So, if you meet a gringo that has lived a big chunk of his life in Mexico, you will probably notice that he is comfortable with that term, and it can indeed used as a term of endearment. The term is mostly used because gringo is shorter than norteamericano, americano or estadounidense. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 201.141.209.10 (talk) 01:31, 4 March 2007 (UTC).
Mexico has a population of whom roughly 10% self-identify as being of predominantly European descent, about 30% self-identify as being of predominantly Amerindian descent, and most of the remainder self-identifying as being of mixed European and Amerindian descent. And yet the vast majority of Mexican presidents have been from the European-descended CASTE, and almost all of them had European-descended spouses. Just look at Mexican telenovelas: the majority of the casts in most telenovelas are of European descent--and overwhelmingly the main role is held by an actor of European descent. It is infrequent when there is a mixed European/Amerindian character in a prominent role, much less a full-fledged Amerindian, who are almost non-existent. Yet considering Amerindians make up around a third of the population, and "mixed" people make up the majority at roughly 60% of the Mexican people, shouldn't peoples from these groups hold the majority of the leadership positions and telenovela casts? Yet they don't. The European minority does. Furthermore, it seems that there is a disproportionate amount of European-descended Latinos on Wikipedia and the internet in general. Latinos of mixed or Amerindian descent are extremely underrepresented compared to their European-descended peers. They obviously do not have the same access as many Latinos of European descent. In contrast, the United States (of America) has plenty of leaders from non-European backgrounds, and an American of African descent is a major contender for the presidency. This is although the population of the United States until recently has been overwhelmingly of European descent (even today, if Latinos are considered a distinct people group (race), the number of Americans who self-identify as being of European descent is around 75%. The amount of Americans that are of European descent is over 18 years old (much less the 25 years old necessary to become a Congressman, the 30 to become a Senator, and the 35 to become President) is even greater.

You seem to have your countries mixed up. And you have the nerve of accusing the United States of being racist, while Mexico isn't.

The United States indeed does have racism (as does every country of Earth), but it is not nearly as institutionalized as in Mexico, as the evidence clearly shows. Chiss Boy 11:06, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

You haven't read the newspaper for centuries, have you? Hoohoo, Bush junior is president ;-) (This was really just a joke, as I have to admit, I haven't been to Méjico so far) Well the funny thing is, that most hispanoablantes don't think it is intended to be racist. And who should know better? If you want to distinghuish between people, you always have to use words that characterise them (red hair, blue pullover, ...). So the question is: Is it intended to be racist - or just used for characterising. How it is understood by the people called "gringo" might be a language problem - or even different temperament. I truely was astonished at my nicaraguense and peruvian friends calling me "muchacho" (youngster) after our first (yet official) meeting. But they call themselves "muchachas" as well. Another story: As I was young, I was shut up, as I said that one of the people invited to a Dinnerparty was a Yew. They thought I was swearing in a "racial way". The only thing I wanted to do was tell (and help...) as I knew that he didn't ate everything. The same way as I try to have vegeterian food on a party I know my friend, who is vegetarian, whats to show up. To cut the story short: You cannot say something is racial if you do not definitely know its racial and understand the culture, language,... as far as this is not given, I trust the native speakers telling me it is not intended to be racist (in most cases). Adromel 21:52, 10 June 2007 (UTC)


As for the topic at hand, those who are the objects of the term gringo (apparently Americans of many ancestries) are the ones to declare whether or not the term is a slur. A lot of ethnic (as is this one--Americans are (or should be) of one ethnicity) and racial slurs have very innocuous or neutral definitions (consider some of the ones for Africans), but because of how they ARE USED, they become offensive. The article can include that gringo is not offensive in some countries, but that in other countries it is. Chiss Boy 11:06, 16 April 2007 (UTC)


I don't know in some countries it is and some it is not like Costa Rica. (DoubleNine 17:47, 20 May 2007 (UTC))


I am Mexican and I live in Mexico. I have always used the term gringo referring to someone from the United States, no matter the color of their skin. When I know that a person is form the Unites States I consider that person to be gringo (not offensively). Well if someone is black or white most mexicans will consider them as gringos, if they are "hispanic-americans" we would consider them as "paisanos" or "chicanos" or maybe even gringos. I personally do not like that Mexicans cross the border and populate another country, but I understand that things have not been very good economically in Mexico so they have to leave and I understand that many Americans need them for their labor force. But that's another topic. Back to the Gringo topic. Mexicans who do not speak any language other than Spanish sometimes can not distinguish that easily between a person speaking English or another language, for example German or French (though they are very different languages). So those Mexicans might call Germans gringos, but only because they thought they were Americans. In Mexico, if we want to insult an American we would say “Pinche Gringo”, if we do not say “pinche” before “gringo” it is not intended to be offensive. We call people from Mexico city “chilangos” and that is not offensive until we say “pinche chilango”. I have some Argentinean friends and they call Americans Yankees. Yankee is only offensive when they say “Yankee de mierda”. I do believe that the term “gringo” is offensive in the United States, but that is not the case in Mexico. In Mexico saying gringo is equal to saying American in the United States. ChemaSAN 22:35, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

The same thing happens with Chinese people. In Mexico people think that everyone that has Asian-pacific kind of eyes are Chinese. People in Mexico cannot distinguish between a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai or whatever. I fortunately have been studying Mandarin Chinese for three years and I can make the distinction between Asian languages by how they sound. I have problems, however, to distinguish between them by their looks. Well, Chinese people dress differently than Japanese people, and most Japanese people have more hair (beard) than Chinese, but that kind of things are difficult to notice without a careful look or without having the experience of traveling around Asia. Referring to someone in Mexico as Chino is not intended to be offensive. I have curly hair and in Mexico we call people with curly hair: "chinos". People with "chinese eyes" are also said to be "chinos". ChemaSAN 22:35, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Usage in Spain

This article notes nothing about the usage in Spain. If the term is not used in Spain, that should be noted. Casey14 02:36, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

You are correct the term is not used very often in Spain at all, in fact in Argentina and Uruguay either. Thank You (XGustaX 16:18, 20 May 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Refering to all foreigners?

"used in some countries of Latin America to refer to foreigners from different cultures (from the United States especially, but also from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere, including sometimes other countries of Latin America itself)."

This is completely wrong. The term "Gringo" is used specifically for people from the USA, at least, in the context used in all latinamerica.

No, its definitely can be used to cover British people and doubtless other Europeans who arent Spanish. It can refer specifically to US people or it can have a wider meaning. On the other hand Latinos from one country would never refer to Gringo's from another country as Gringos, SqueakBox 21:00, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

See Thaddeus Blanchette's article, at the bottom of the page. By the way: read carefully. The Wikipedia article does not say the word is used for all foreigners. FilipeS 21:09, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Cant see it it, it isnt online. What exactly does it say. We need more refs that gringo can be used to describe Latinos as it sounds contrived to me, SqueakBox 21:44, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Odd, I can see it fine. Try again. (It may take a while to load. The website is not very user-friendly.)

P.S. Oh, and here's the relevant quote:

I suspect this comes as a bit of a surprise to any latinos who might be reading this, but in Brazil, "gringo" is even applied to foreigners hailing from other parts of Latin America. The Rio daily newspaper O Povo recently ran a front page item detailing an attempted mugging of an American by three Ecuadorians in Tom Jobim airport. The headline? "Gringo rouba gringo" ("Gringos steal from gringo").

FilipeS 22:00, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Well that specifically relates to Brazilians and their relation to Hispanic Latinos. This specific info would be great to include somewhere in the article that isnt the opening, it certainly sounds credible (because of the different languages), SqueakBox 22:14, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Notes from a mexican

Let me cut in and offer some points to consider:

  • The source of the word it's unclear for us too. There's plenty of different versions about it's origin (most of them are already written in this talk page) and none is deemed more accurate than the rest.
  • "Estadounidense" it's widely used, it's just that it's too proper and formal to use it all the time. It's worth noting that you're officially "Estados Unidos de America" to us, not "America", so although "americano" it's certainly used, it's not the de facto word, because it's considered inaccurate.
  • Gringo it's certainly applied to US people only, at least in Mexico. There's no equivalent word for guys from New Zeland, canadians, australians, or for english people. It is a matter of nationality. Obviously, casual onlookers don't tend make sure if a tourist passing by it's actually from the states, so they just asume he is. African-american people can be asumed to be gringos as well, but they can also may be mistaken for cubans or brazilians. Clothes are what usually determines nationality for an onlooker in these cases. Asian-americans are often misktaken for actual people from Asia, unless there's clear evidence of the contrary.
  • Although clearly not a complement, the word itself it's not an insult. It sure can be, but that depends on the speaker. A little judgement call is required (a rowdy group of friendly mexican party hosts are not going to use it in the same way an angry cab driver, for instance). Gringo is just an (mildly) rude affirmation that "you're not from here". There's a wide variety of much harsher words to offend visitors, so if you hear the word, know that it wasn't really ment to hurt you. In most cases, it's a neutral term, unless context makes it otherwise.

It's ludicrous to think of it as a racial slur. In a worst-case scenario, it can be xenophobic, but racist? Note that the idea of "politically correct terms" it's something of a foreign concept in Mexico (and most Latin America also), because we mexicans don't normally think of ourselves (and therefore others) as a "race". If we discuss italians, we don't talk about the "italian race", we discuss them as a nation. Same thing with gringos. In Mexico, the race issue it's rarely, if ever, brought up in non-intellectual conversations among natives. It's just not that sensitive of an issue here, so we can be a lot more casual about it.


- Seconding the comments by the mexican guy (from another mexican), gringo, in my experience, is no longer considered an insult. It is used rather as a descriptive term, i.e. "he is a gringo" has the same function as "he is a mexican". This is how, through context, it could be given a derogatory connotation, the equivalent of, for example, saying "filthy mexicans".

This is also why generally you do not say "gringo" to an american in their face, it would be the same as addressing someone as "you mexican", not quite an insult but definitely disrespectful.

I use the word gringo, with purely a descriptive function, the same as saying italian, greek, etc. Me and my friends do this because of the conundrum of properly naming a united states citizen, since "american" or "north american" are technically incorrect as they also encompass Canada and Mexico. "Estadounidense" is quite cumbersome, but more importantly it is also vague, the official name of Mexico is "Estados Unidos Mexicanos", making mexicans "estadounidenses" (of mexico) as well.

Something that might be influencing this is that (to my knowledge) the american english vocabulary does not use (generally neutral) "nicknames" for people from other areas, whereas it is common in mexico. For example, people from mexico city are often referred to as "chilangos". This word has almost identical properties with "gringo", it can definitely be used as an insult or as a racial term (shops in northern mexico often display a sign of "serve the country, kill a chilango" and "no admittance to dogs or chilangos") but when outside of mexico city, I describe myself as a chilango, there's even a magazine called "chilango", listing events in mexico city. I admit it's a rather complex use of a word, but then again context should make it clear whether it's meant as an insult or not.

Pakal 23:22, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bad effects of the word "gringo"

I have removed this personal essay.

One can say that the general use of the word "gringo" against white people or groups of white people has strong negative effects concerning the connections between the continents. Central American and the South American populations are blocking themselves from contents and wisdom of Europe and North America, which of course has to be selected.
By the word "gringo" also popular propaganda by populists is supported and prejudices are enforced as they are in the history books until today. This leads to falsifications of the history and to new enemy pictures - and above all to the denial of true reasons of bad happenings e.g. of economical crises or wars etc. Also personal relationships can be badly damaged by the word "gringo" when e.g. the general mentality of a town (generated by "school programs") or private propaganda work is enforced against race mixed families or is damaging relationships within families.
So the word "gringo" has not at all a good effect whereas the countries of Central and South America are independent since more than 150 years. As it seems these negative effects have never been concerned by the governments of Central and South America until now.

--Error 23:11, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The damned etymology again... or the urban legend that wouldn't die!

What is the explanation for the deletion of the following passage, and the other edits made by User 85.50.143.215?

This is an example of an invented explanation, because gringo was used in Spanish long before the war and during the Mexican-American War. Additionally, the U.S. Army did not use green uniforms at the time, but blue ones. /Qmfound.com/

Unless one is provided soon, I will revert the article to its previous version again. FilipeS

[edit] Gringo

Felipe, you have done good work on this page. It’s informative and interesting.

It is inaccurate though to categorically state gringo is a derivation of griego. Each etymology involves speculation – that’s why the Real Academia Española does not cite the Corominas’ work as fact – so the phrasing you have is misleading. Some Mexicans think gringo applies specifically to Americans not as a derivation of “griego” but as a mutation of “guero,” which is slang for blonde. Corominas, who was Catalan, writing about a chiefly Mexican word while he lived in Chicago is like an Scotsman in Canada commenting that the word “coke” can mean orange soda in some parts of the US. I am not saying he is wrong, gringo from griego does make the most sense, but the point is it is a stretch to unconditionally label the other concepts as “folk” etymologies – especially since the term has different connotations in depending on the country. Trans-Atlantic linguistic studies looking back two or three-hundred years are difficult to rely on; the number of Spaniards arriving in the Americas from Iberia with their vernacular dwindled at the time of the independence movements, and language changes faster than dictionaries and academic studies. How can anyone be certain gringo in Mexico is not a mutated form of guero, or from the song lyrics, or the green undershirts the soldiers had on since it was too hot for their blue wool coats? The point is it is not certain and the language on the page needs to be cleaned up a bit to make that clear.

Have a look at how they do it on the Spanish wikipedia page for gringo:

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gringo

I think it’s a better tact on describing the etymology. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 85.50.143.215 (talk) 22:25, 15 April 2007 (UTC).

Interesting. Your own source says the term was already used in the 1600s-1700s. So how could it have been due to some American invasion?

La palabra "gringo" aparece escrita en España en el siglo XVIII. El famoso "Diccionario Castellano con las voces de ciencias y artes" (1786-1793), compilado por el padre Esteban de Terreros y Pando, explica que la palabra gringo es usada para referirse a extranjeros que tienen dificultad para hablar castellano con naturalidad.

By the way, it's by no means a "chiefly Mexican" word. FilipeS 22:39, 15 April 2007 (UTC)

“Your own source says the term was already used in the 1600s-1700s.”

Felipe, etymology is not just the study of where and when a word first appeared.

I referred you to the Spanish version so you would read the way the author expresses an idea that is “probably” the case:

Lo más probable es que "gringo" es una deformación de la palabra "griego".

The language you use to phrase the same idea claims the Corominas etymology is a certainty—it's not!

Also, your “etymology” does not take many things like this into account:

Hay un gran debate sobre cuál versión es la correcta: que si viene del español "griego" o del inglés "green grow ...".No es nada fuera de lo común que una palabra cambie de significado y de origen. Por ejemplo, la palabra "cachar" primero venía de "cacho", pero después llegó del inglés "catch" y cambió de significado. Al principio la palabra gringo sólo significaba "extranjero", pero después de la guerra entre México y Estados Unidos, pasó a especificar despectivamente a alguien de origen Inglés.

Anyway, I don’t know how much experience you have with reading Spanish, but the es.wiki gringo page has other things which would add to this text—for example this above about the word’s change in meaning from foreigner to American or European/white etc. over time, and the Buenos Aires English-invasion explanation. All of these themes should be listed under “etymology.”

You’re right, saying gringo is “chiefly Mexican” is not quite right!

Well, I don't disagree that the article could be rewritten to be more nuanced. (Incidentally, I thank you for your compliment, but I've actually contributed very little to it, myself.) However, that does not change the fact that some of the proposed folk etymologies are nonsensical or suspiciously "just-so" stories.
You are welcome to rephrase the article more carefully, as I think you might have been trying to do. I just think you should be careful not to give equal weight to explanations with unequal plausibility (even if none of them can ever be established with 100% certainty). That was why I reverted the changes you made.
Another interesting point about the article in the Spanish-language Wikipedia is that it makes it clear that Corominas is not the only source who says the origin of "gringo" is "griego". Regards. FilipeS 11:17, 16 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] "Race" in Latin America

I think the misunderstanding of "gringo" fits in a pattern similar to terms like "raza" or "negro" as used in Spanish. Latin American societies are clearly pigmentocracies for the most part, yet the idea of "race" as a fixed, immutable concept is not widespread. In Latin America, one can change in racial status to some degree; "Indians" move to cities and become "Ladinos" or "Mestizos." Mestizos and Mulatos can acquire "white" status by moving into the middle class, marrying lighter skinned people, and adopting European modes (see fresa). Gringo is in the same spirit - a person may be labelled a "gringo" due to external appearance, economic or social factors, but it isn't intended to be a "racial" descriptor in the same sense that "spic" or "nigger" are. In Mexico, a "gringo" can be an African-American, or even an assimilated Hispanic-American (though in Mexico, "pocho" is a more specific label). Some Americans hear a term like gringo, and may assume it is a slur that is akin to racial slurs in English, while to Mexicans it is more a social stereotype. Social stereotypes may be unwelcome and offensive in some contexts, but are not the same thing as racial slurs. 70.117.165.77

It is true that, in the Latin American society, the racial hostility issue so familiar to the US people it's replaced for a social one, and it's clear you made your homework. However, I got to say, I think you are trying to shoehorn the US paradigm of thought in a whole different world here. This archaic nametags you mention were used by spanish conquistadors to refer to the level of purity in a person's blood (a very important matter to them, because only "pure" spaniards born in Spain were allowed to inherit land and wield power in the colonies). The lowest form of human life were indian and black slaves (both equaly lowly). If a spaniard had a "mixed" son, that son was deemed as a somewhat more "decent" person, but all that person could aspire to was to be better than the slaves, nothing more (a foreman, a clerk, that sort of thing). There were actually levels of impurity that one could cite to claim superiority over another guy with filthier blood (thus the need for specific labels such as mulato, or sambo, or whatever). In the end, independency from Spain brought the end of nobility and "pure" bloodlines. By the turn of the 20th century, Latin America (with the possible exception of Argentina) became a continent full of mestizos. That's right: most people in Latin America are taught to be proud of our prehispanic ancestry, as well as our cultural heritage as spanish speakers (El Quijote it's a must in public school programs). We don't see ourselves (or anybody else for that matter) as a "race". We are not the original natives of our land, and we are not spanish; we're are something else, a meld. You are quite right when you say that "gringo" is more of a social profile, and it's true, a black man speaking english it's just as gringo as a blonde one, but, more than just skin colors, people south the border tend to see the whole package: The clothes, the lenguage, the behaviour... everything that makes a tourist stand out in a crowd. That's what gringo really means (philology aside): "You're not from here". 01:32, 5 May 2007 (UTC) Corrigiendo nomás

[edit] White people

I can't believe there's debate about this. Has anyone seen a Mexican use the word gringo towards anyone who isn't white? No.

This word is not just used by Mexican immigrants to the U.S. FilipeS 19:36, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
I am a mexican living in Mexico, and African-Americans from the United States are called gringos if they speak English and behave in typical 'US tourist' boorish fashion. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 148.240.253.118 (talk) 00:37, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

Of course.(DoubleNine 17:50, 20 May 2007 (UTC))

Well calling someone white isnt a racial slur, SqueakBox 18:39, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

What SqueakBox said. (DoubleNine 18:47, 20 May 2007 (UTC))

To all the white people utterly offended by the word (people that refused to read all former conversations in this talk page where all this is explained over and over), try this on for size: George Bush and Donald Trump are gringos. Al Sharpton and Danny Glover are gringos too. Lucy Liu and that Grant Imahara guy from MythBusters are gringos too. The are gringos because they're all from Gringolandia (see above). Y se los dice un mexicano, quien, creo yo, tiene un poco más de creedibilidad que un mocoso zafio.
And even though I am not American I also am a gringo. Being unnotable I wouldnt be called one were I never to have been in Latin America but I have. The only person who ever insulted me with the term gringo was an Argentinian holding up the migration queue leaving Nicaragaua complaining because they wouldnt let him leave as he had no dollars (for the leaving tax). I, stuck in the queue behind him called to the customs to open another queue, which caused him to use this term as an insult and the authorities to open another queue. But mostly its a term I here when referring to myself and the idea that people call out Gringo to me int he street would be bizarre, particularly nowadays, SqueakBox 19:51, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
Show me one citation of a Mexican-American calling a black or Asian the word "gringo". They've called the white Americans that plenty of times.
Again, this word is not just used by Mexican immigrants to the U.S. FilipeS 20:13, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
Absolutely not, they are just a tiny minority, SqueakBox 20:15, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
Brazilians DO use the word "gringo" for Americans of any race. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.24.12.175 (talk) 04:14, 17 October 2007 (UTC)


I am Mexican and I live in Mexico. I have always used the term gringo referring to someone from the United States, no matter the color of their skin. As long as I know that a person is form the Unites States I call that person gringo (not offensively). Mexicans who do not speak any language other than Spanish sometimes can not distinguish that easily between a person speaking English or another language, for example German or French (though they are very different languages). So those Mexican might call Germans gringos, but only because they thought they were Americans. In Mexico when we want to insult an American we would say “Pinche Gringo”, if we do not say “pinche” before “gringo” it is not intended to be offensive. We call people from Mexico city “chilangos” and it is not offensive until we say “pinche chilango”. I have many Argentinean friends and they call Americans Yankees. Yankee is only offensive when they say “Yankee de mierda”. I do believe that the term “gringo” is offensive in the United States, but that is not the case in Mexico. In Mexico saying gringo is equal to saying American in the United States. The same thing happens with Chinese. In Mexico people thing that everyone that has Asian-pacific kind of eyes are Chinese. People in Mexico cannot distinguish between a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai or whatever. I fortunately have been studying Mandarin Chinese for three years and I can make the distinction between the phonetics of those Asian countries. I have problems however to distinguish between them by their looks. Well, Chinese people dress differently than Japanese people, and most Japanese people have more hair (beard) than Chinese, but that kind of things are difficult to notice without a careful look or without having the experience of traveling around Asia. Referring to someone in Mexico as Chino is not intended to be offensive. I have curly hair and in Mexico we refer to people with curly hair as "chinos". People with "chinese eyes" are also said to be "chinos".

Pinche gringo! lol. Pinche is one of my favourite words. We Brits speak English so we tend to get lumped together with Americans. And as I have made very clear to my wife and others to call me an American would be an insult in the way that calling me a gringo never would. And yes, you obviously know what you are talking about, SqueakBox 22:13, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah Squeak. Here in Mexico if we know that a black/white/red/yellow person is American we would consider him/her a Gringo too. The word “pinche” is funny because it actually means "cook assistant" and it is usually offensive, but like most words it depends on the tone. Pinche, although a noun, is used as an adjective meaning "despicable" or something like that. ChemaSAN 23:28, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

You guys are all stupid except for the Mexican!!! Gringo means Yankee to refer to the Americans damn you guys need to learn or somthing! Geez Gringos now a days thinking they know our Language!--Manny Ribera 11:05, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] UK/Australia?

The term (at least is Spain) is only referred to people from USA; it doesn´t include UK nor Australia.--Xareu bs 13:18, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mexican point of view

Well we use gringo only in anglos i read it come from a nahuatl word gringotl that means "son af the bitch"

I don't know who do you think you're fooling, but that's just false and not very bright of you. ¿Estás pendejo o solo estas fingiendo?

[edit] Gringo it's not a racial slur

I edited that phrase from the first paragraph. I belive that statement it's quite disputable to say the least. Just look at this talk page. Anyway, I hope no one reverses this edit, at least not without some good reasons. 200.56.184.228 17:55, 18 July 2007 (UTC) Corrigiendo Nomás

[edit] FILIPES: Please cite your sources

This entry consists mainly of off-the-cuff opinion.

If you wish to cite a similarly weighty source to American Heritage that says this despicable term is NOT disparaging, then do so.

In case you didn't notice, this is the English language wiki: that the American Heritage Dictionary "does not speak Spanish" is irrelevant. It is an unimpeachable source on terms that have entered the parlance. Perhaps you should confine, then, your comments to the Spanish wiki?

Also, it is incumbent on you to provide sources for your apparently baseless opinions. Please do not simply remove [citation needed]} tags.

Thanks.BulldogPete 02:20, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

I do not write opinions, I write facts. And it's not as if I singlehandledly wrote the whole article. I have added all the sources I am aware of, most of which were already in the article. It's not my fault people are too lazy to look for them. A few statements remain unsourced, but I have kept them, as they are consistent with what the other sources state.
Incidentally, in future kindly do not make radical and biased edits to the article without discusing them here in the talk page first. You knew full well that other editors were not in agreement with you. FilipeS 03:55, 27 July 2007 (UTC)
Unsourced claims are subject to removal at any time. Incidentally, each of your sources mentions that this term is an insult. As has been discussed extensively, there is actually no question whatsoever that the term is disparaging.BulldogPete
To BulldogPete, if you ever tell another user to "confine" themselves to another Wikipedia based on their ethnicity again you will be blocked for WP:NPA. Good day.--Jersey Devil 10:30, 27 July 2007 (UTC)
What a sanctimonious, self-righteous and absurd comment. The user had previously made a comment that the American Heritage Dictionary did not "talk" Spanish. I was responding to that, and did not make any reference to anyone's ethnicity. Are you gentleman/lady enough to admit your mistake in making a personal attack on me? Good day.BulldogPete 10:37, 27 July 2007 (UTC)
"Incidentally, each of your sources mentions that this term is an insult." Oh, quit being such a liar. Who exactly do you think you're fooling? FilipeS 14:35, 27 July 2007 (UTC)
To Jersey Devil, Attempting to silence someone through such a threat is deplorable; especially when, upon reading BulldogPete's entry, it becomes clear that he made no ethnic comment whatsoever. At the very least, please learn the difference between a Question and a Command. Farkeld 05:35, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
Someone creating an account only to defend someone is awfully suspicious, I smell sockpuppetry. -- Caribbean~H.Q. 07:52, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

This account was created before BulldogPete ever made his first post regarding FilipeS, or is Ad hominem your style? Farkeld 14:53, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Why would I attack you? I don't even know FilipeS. However a sleeper sock account can be created at any moment that proves nothing. - Caribbean~H.Q. 21:34, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
The burden of proof lies with you in your accusation, not with me in my defense. Farkeld 02:55, 13 August 2007 (UTC)


My aunt recently went to Peru to see Macchu Picchu. To the natives, the trail leading up to the Inca ruins is known as the "Gringo Trail" because only rich white Americans can afford the high costs of the hike. I think this information could be included in the Peru section as it is quite relative, —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.14.37.221 (talk) 14:59, August 23, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Spaniards! ¡Españoles! Espagnols !

In english: Sorry if i don't speak very well english, but i want to tell something. The definition of "gringo" (and "gabacho" too) is like: "not hispanic people"!! It's like terms as: "haole" for hawaii's people or "gayjin" for japanese people (it seems "someone foreign"). And i want also speak about the spanish people origins! The spagniards are one of the most mixed people of the world! they have a lot of origins, like: Iberians (with "berbers" origins), phoenicians ("near east" origins), greeks, romans, carthaginians ("maghreb" origins), moors ("arabs & berbers" origins), but also with "sephardim" & "romani people" origins!! So, i think they are most "mediteranean & oriental people" than "european people"!!

En castellano: Lo que quiero decir, es que la palabra "gringo" (y "gabacho" tambien) signifaca "gente sin origen hispano". En este caso, esta palabra designa alguien que es extranjero al pueblo autóctono. Es igual que la palabra "haole" para la gente de Hawái; o "gayjin" por los japones. Ambas palabras designan alguien que es extranjero a la gente autóctona. Me parece importante de fijar otra cosa ¡los espagñoles tienen muchos origenes! Ellas vienen sobretodo del oriente, como: los iberos (de origen: bereber), los fenicios (de origen: libanés, sirio y palestino), los griegos, los romanos, los cartagenios (de origen: tunecino), los moros (arabico-bereber) y tambien los sefardies y los gitanos. Pues, podemos decir que ¡¡el pueblo español es más "mediterraneo y oriental" que un "puro pueblo europeo"!!

En francais: Il faut bien comprendre une chose, c'est que le terme "gringo", ainsi que le terme "gabacho", ont pour sens "personne non-hispanique" (donc quelqu'un qui n'est ni d'origine espagnole, ni d'origine latino-américaine). En résumé cela designe une personne qui est étrangère au peuple autochtone. C'est comme les mots "haole" ou "gayjin" pour les hawaiens et les japonais. Il est important aussi de préciser que les origines des espagnols sont principalement orientales, par exemple: les ibère (d'origine berbère), les phéniciens (du proche-orient), les greques, les romains ainsi que les carthaginois (venant de tunisie), les maures (arabo-berbère) ainsi que les juifs orientaux (sépharades) et les gitans (tziganes). Donc ce qui est clair c'est que les espagnols sont, et ce depuis toujours, un peuple méditerranéen aux origines orientales, plus qu'un pays réellement européen!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.164.3.178 (talk) 18:24, August 30, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Irish precursor to “Green Grow the Laurels"?

(New post starts here, my first. I'm not totally clear on how this works.) I’m not a Spanish speaker, but I have a long history of interest in Irish music, and the discussion of how the word “gringo” originated is totally fascinating, with numerous interesting observations from various points of view. To me the origin of the word is important because it may say things about prejudice and how the influence of prejudice has or has not been maintained. Just as a general observation, the meaning of words quickly adapts to the purposes and places of cultures, countries, cities, even neighborhoods, so it seems possible for the meaning of the word to vary considerably by place and culture, regardless of how it got started.

The sound of the word strongly suggests a relationship to some form of “green go,” and that explanation is attractive just because it’s the sort of absurd thing people do with language. In addition, I still haven’t seen a convincing explanation of how pronunciation of “griego” would logically have evolved into “Gringo” other than the difficulty of distinguishing the verbal ee from een. Why would any Spanish speakers add an apparently gratuitous “n” sound?

Another angle of that source, however, is the equally provocative observation that the original “griego” may have been used in the 1700s especially to refer to expatriate Irish in Spain, who, coincidentally, could also have worn green military uniforms and sung a variation of “Green Grow the Laurels,” adapted in Ireland to express contempt for misleading Parliamentary proposals (You sent me a letter, a red rose a line.) that always seemed to favor the English at Irish expense (I’ll be your sweetheart, if you will be mine.)

Whether or not the term is currently common somewhere doesn’t mean that it was never common, or even that it isn’t still in use by another language group in the same area. I’m not sure I have any idea how some words are used by my kids’ friends or even ethnic groups in my own neighborhood. How long did it take me to figure out what “feenin” meant, and do I have any idea where it came from?

So what I’m mucking about with here is the possibility that gringo originated from a combination of sources that have batted it back and forth like a tennis ball that picks up grass and lint every time it rolls off the court, and now it’s a little ragged and squashed and it may be hard to say what brand it was in the first place. I have yet to see a convincing argument that it is not any of those things, but the word seems to be widely known, if not equally used, in both Spanish and English. How did it get to be so common without encouragement from more than one source? Refteks 16:49, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

Hello, welcome to Wikipedia. Frankly, that seems like too much of a convenient coincidence to me. Can you present any evidence that such an Irish song existed in the 18th century, and is related to the origin of "gringo"?
I am forced to agree that the derivation "griego" → "gringo" seems a little forced, phonetically. However:
  • Unlike the other ridiculous theories, this one is the the sort of absurd thing that people sometimes do with language.
  • There are scholars who study the Spanish language, and have published works in which they argue that the origin of "gringo" is probably "griego".
  • All the other explanations put forth are, quite frankly, suspiciously "just-so" and implausible. They're also suspiciously alike, and self-serving. Disgruntled Spanish speakers can comfort themselves with the thought that at least they have an "ugly" word for their American/British(/Irish?) foreign oppressor. Conversely, Americans/British/Irish can feel less guilty about the racial slurs they use against Spanish speakers with the thought that the "Spics" have bad words for them, too. It's all too convenient, if you ask me. Show me the evidence.
Regards. FilipeS 21:38, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Brazil

From the article: "In Brazil the word gringo is used to refer to foreigners from any country, not only the United States."

Not exactly. I have noticed that, the better educated a Brazilian, the less the nationalities they will call "gringo", while the poorer-educated a Brazilian, the more the nationalities they will call so. For example, a high-class, well educated Brazilian, will only use the word "gringo" for Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealenders and Britishes (basically, Western people who speak English as their native language); a medium-class Brazilian will call gringo any American of any race and any foreigner who looks North-European, no matter the language spoken; and, finally, a low class, uneducated Brazilian (the bulk of the Brazilian population actually, thus the mistake on the article) will just use that word as a synonym of a "non-Brazilian" person.

Sorry, but there is no "mistake". The meaning which the bulk of the Brazilian population assigns to a word is just as valid, if not more valid as those assigned by the "educated" elites. The "lower classes" do make up the majority of speakers, after all, and the "less educated" are often the ones who preserve the original meanings of words. You speak as though there were a ONE, TRUE, OBJECTIVE meaning to "gringo", when in reality the meaning of any word is obviously just a convention. It varies with the time, the culture, and the speaker. A lot of people need to accept this fact and move on. FilipeS 18:34, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Guiri

Why don't include synonyms like "guiri" ? --Emijrp (talk) 19:47, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

Two reasons:
  • Gringo is used all over Latin America, while guiri seems to be exclusive to Spain.
  • The meaning of gringo varies considerably between countries, so it can be misleading to say that it's a synonym of guiri. FilipeS (talk) 20:51, 29 November 2007 (UTC)
I'm spanish and i can tell you that guiri and gringo have different meaning. Gringo is not used in Spain, only in some countries in Latin America. Guiri is used only in spain, not in Latin American. Guiri have several meanings, one of them is "foreing tourist", but it is a colloquial and not offensive term, even spaniards call themselves "guiris" when they are tourist in a foreing country. I'm not agree with the redirect page Guri-> Gringo. it's not the same. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.125.31.68 (talk) 16:23, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Ask a Mexican"

I have removed references to a list of satirical definitions in a satirical column. The satirical column was being used innapropriately as a serious source of definitions and facts. --Ramsey2006 (talk) 17:39, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Green grow" etymologies

This etymology section is poor. Someone used yahootalk and an urban dictionary as references. The Royal Academy of Spanish dictionary from 2006 says that linguists dispute the origin of gringo; why did someone phrase this page to sound as if the Corominas text is definitive? It's not. Corominas cites early printed evidence of the word, yes, but he says nothing about how "gringo" has changed meaning over time, which is an important part of etymology. FelipeS, don't change my additions without explanation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.163.37.122 (talk) 01:34, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Hi. I reverted the changes you made because the "Green Grow"-type etymologies mentioned in the Folk Etymology section are not just "undocumented". They are demonstrably false. This is independent of whether Corominas' proposed etymology is right or wrong. Please do not change the article to imply otherwise until you build a consensus here in the talk page. FilipeS (talk) 19:09, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Saludos. There is no consensus on the talk page that supports Coromincas as a definitive etymology.

If you want cites about the etymology of gringo look at http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gringo ... or http://etimologias.dechile.net/?gringo ... or ... http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=gringo ... none of those use the phrasing you suggest. I don't know how to, but it might be useful to put links to those cites instead of using the "urban dictionary" and "yahootalk".

In reality the only legitamate source on gringo of all these pages is the Real Academia Española which lists a "Etim. disc." Entimología discutida -- so phrasing this page as though Corominas' explanation is the "Etymology" and the others "Folk" is misleading. This addition: "However, there is ample evidence that the use of the word predates the Mexican-American War.[3][8][2][9]" means little, since etymology does not depend on where and when a word first appeared--it is the study of both where words first appeared, and how words develop and change meaning over time.

I suggest the Spanish wiki on gringo as a guide to this page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.57.188.77 (talk) 16:02, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

The issue here is not the legitimacy of Corominas' derivation, it's the legitimacy of the "green grow" etymologies. These etymologies are unsupported and clearly unhistorical. What is misleading is to pretend that they are in any way believable. Describing them as simply "undocumented" gives them an apparent respectability which they have not earned. Or can you present a respectable source which accepts them?
The sources you mentioned won't do. The first one is Wikipedia, which does not count, the second does not present any evidence or arguments in favour of the "green grow" etymologies (and in fact at one point seems to acknowledge that it's an etimología popular, a folk etymology), while the third simply says the etymology of the word is unknown.
Translation: I don't know if Corominas' explanation is the right one. Maybe it isn't. But it is at least defensible. The "green grow" stories are totally baseless. There is a difference. FilipeS (talk) 16:25, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Gringo

Gringo is only for USA people. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.24.17.233 (talk) 01:07, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Source for somewhat more credible etymology than this article presently gives

See the following new paper article which traces the term back to 1750 spain:

http://www.marrder.com/htw/jan97/editorial.htm

--Rafaelgarcia (talk) 01:40, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Isn't that article already in the references, or the external links? FilipeS (talk) 20:41, 21 March 2008 (UTC)