Post by Radrook Admin on Mar 18, 2022 20:48:47 GMT -5
Why Latin-X Should be Discarded
Another reason for not using it is its offensiveness. You see, most Latinos don't want to be referred to by an X. Most significantly, Latinos have repeatedly made this clearly known. So insisting on its usage despite such opposition only serves to foment a justifiable resentment among the targeted group.
One reason that I find very compelling is that people resorting to using the term are doing so based on an inadequate understanding of Spanish grammar or Romance-Language grammar that includes Italian, French, Romanian, Portuguese, and Catalan since they feel that these languages are being gender exclusive in certain expressions. That is simply not the case.
For example, "Ellos son Italianos." "They are Italian." is understood to include both genders. However if a group's gender is exclusively female, then it is referred to by specific gender. "Ellas son Italianas." They are Italian! But we know now that they are all females-Italianas. In contrast in the following expression, "Nosotros somos Italianos" "We are Italian." The words Nosotros and Italianos" are both gender-neutral if the group involved is composed of both sexes. .
In short, among Romance Language speakers, there is absolutely nothing understood to be gender-exclusive or gender-discriminatory in saying that a group of people are Italianos, even if the group includes both genders. It simply means that the group of people being mentioned is Italian in nationality. In short, among Romance-Language native-speakers, the gender-neutrality of these terms is immediately understood by the context.
So by stubbornly choosing to add an X, we are being completely out of kilter with the grammatical reality of these languages which don't need anything added in order to be perfectly understood.
For example, "Ellos son Italianos." "They are Italian." is understood to include both genders. However if a group's gender is exclusively female, then it is referred to by specific gender. "Ellas son Italianas." They are Italian! But we know now that they are all females-Italianas. In contrast in the following expression, "Nosotros somos Italianos" "We are Italian." The words Nosotros and Italianos" are both gender-neutral if the group involved is composed of both sexes. .
In short, among Romance Language speakers, there is absolutely nothing understood to be gender-exclusive or gender-discriminatory in saying that a group of people are Italianos, even if the group includes both genders. It simply means that the group of people being mentioned is Italian in nationality. In short, among Romance-Language native-speakers, the gender-neutrality of these terms is immediately understood by the context.
So by stubbornly choosing to add an X, we are being completely out of kilter with the grammatical reality of these languages which don't need anything added in order to be perfectly understood.
An offensive Term
Another reason for not using it is its offensiveness. You see, most Latinos don't want to be referred to by an X. Most significantly, Latinos have repeatedly made this clearly known. So insisting on its usage despite such opposition only serves to foment a justifiable resentment among the targeted group.