# Is it correct to say "Latino woman" in English? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149 "2011-09-13T11:52:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/1 "2011-09-13T11:52:27Z")
I feel like it’s pretty much the norm, even in English, to make noun-adjective gender agreement in the phrase “Latina woman.” It’s more often used by English speakers who are at least minimally conversant with Spanish. When I came across a description of Rosie Perez as a “[Latino woman](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_the_Right_Thing#Plot),” it was jarring. It just plain looked _wrong_. I wasn’t sure whether to edit that to say Latina, or whether it can possibly be that the arbiters of correct English will insist that the word has to remain Latino regardless. But the latter is really hard for me to feel OK with. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/2 "2011-09-13T12:04:32Z")
Too late for edit—her name is written Pérez, with the accent. Apologies… I made the assumption that as a U.S. born citizen, she would have made like the García girls and lost her accent. But you cannot assume that. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/3 "2011-09-13T12:37:55Z")
Well, there’s no Academy of English with formal authority to declare something ‘correct’ or not. So it’s a matter of opinion and/or style guidelines for the organization (if it has one). IMO, ‘Latina woman’ is preferable, because most people reading it who are also familiar with Spanish will have the same reaction as you: it’s comprehensible, but jarring and distracting. However, I wouldn’t say ‘Latino woman’ is out and out wrong, given that English doesn’t do gender agreement for adjectives. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/4 "2011-09-13T13:15:46Z")
I’ve mostly heard/read “Latina”, both from Anglos and Latinos - not “Latina woman”, but “Latina”. OK, so “Latino woman” is trying to be more similar to, say, “African-American woman”, but thing is… Latino is a word English has acquired from Spanish, and the people who use it are familiar with the gender declension it carries in the original. Looks to me like a case of hypercorrection, someone saying “the way everybody says it isn’t proper English!” ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/5 "2011-09-13T13:39:21Z")
I’d go with _Latina_ rather than “Latino woman.” But there is no excuse for “Latino/a”–which I’ve seen in some settings… ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/6 "2011-09-13T13:52:17Z")
I’d go with “Latino woman”. Adjectives don’t agree with the noun they modify in English. “Latina woman” sounds like an attempt to show that you know Spanish, a bit like Peggy Hill’s “I’m a substitute ‘espanol’ [sic] teacher.” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/7 "2011-09-13T14:23:33Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Adjectives don’t agree with the noun they modify in English. Sometimes they do, on imported terms. Blond/blonde, né/née are the only ones I can think of offhand. Mostly these have been imported from French, but why not Spanish? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/8 "2011-09-13T14:44:03Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > I’d go with “Latino woman”. Adjectives don’t agree with the noun they modify in English. “Latina woman” sounds like an attempt to show that you know Spanish, a bit like Peggy Hill’s “I’m a substitute ‘espanol’ [sic] teacher.” I’d either say “Latina” or “Latino woman,” but would most certainly not say “Latina woman.” Ever. It sounds redundant and indeed very Peggy Hill. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/9 "2011-09-13T15:25:04Z")
I’d say Latina. Latino woman sounds clueless to me. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/10 "2011-09-13T15:28:12Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Sometimes they do, on imported terms. Blond/blonde, né/née are the only ones I can think of offhand. Mostly these have been imported from French, but why not Spanish? Except that’s not even consistent in English usage - for example, I’ve seen né/née/nee used in English without regard to gender. Blond and blonde are, grammatically interchangeable in English, just variations on a word like gray/grey, both of which can be used even if some people feel one is more correct than another. So while “Latina” might in some sense be _more_ proper I don’t think you can say “Latina woman” or “Latino woman” are wrong so much as clumsy. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/11 "2011-09-13T15:37:17Z")
I’d go with “Latina.” “Latino woman” sounds too much like “Latin-American guy girl-woman” for my tastes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/12 "2011-09-13T15:37:41Z")
“Latina” or “Latino woman” both sound perfectly acceptable and normal to my ears. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/13 "2011-09-13T16:58:13Z")
Personally, I’d go with “Latin man” or “Latin woman”, if I had the need for such a construction. Or, if I were using the Spanish terms, I’d just say “Latino” or “Latina”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/14 "2011-09-13T17:13:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally, I’d go with “Latin man” or “Latin woman”, if I had the need for such a construction. Or, if I were using the Spanish terms, I’d just say “Latino” or “Latina”. Around here, I’d venture that “Latin man” or “Latin woman” would get you a lot of 😕, while “Latino man” or “Latino woman” would be immediately understood. I have honestly never heard a Latino referred to as a “Latin man.” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/15 "2011-09-13T18:46:45Z")
Even if Perez were not born in New York, she would still be a US Citizen as her family is Puerto Rican. The “woman” part bothers me more than the “o.” It just seems too clunky and repetitive, but maybe I’m used to Latina. But it’s not technically wrong. “Hispanic woman” doesn’t have the same problem, although it still sounds off to my ears. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/16 "2011-09-13T19:49:02Z")
I would say “female Latina woman of the XX gender”. Just to make sure no one thought she was a man. You can’t be too careful these days. OK, seriously, as was said earlier, it would be up to the style guide you were using. “Latina woman” sounds ridiculously redundant to me, but I hardly notice when people talk about “The El Camino [Real]” in the Bay Area. Or Lake Lagunita at Stanford. Say whatever sounds best to you. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/17 "2011-09-13T20:28:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally, I’d go with “Latin man” or “Latin woman”, if I had the need for such a construction. Or, if I were using the Spanish terms, I’d just say “Latino” or “Latina”. Personally, as other’s said, I’d go with Latino/Latina. If I needed to use it with man or woman, this is what I’d go with because “Latin” would be the English equivalent of Latino/Latina. Latina Woman just sounds redundant, and Latino Woman sounds confused. Then again, I’m not really sure they’re quite the same thing because, at least in English, Latino/Latina seems to carry a certain amount of connotation about cultural connection, where Latin or Latin-American doesn’t seem to have the cultural connections and speaks only to heritage. Or it could just be me. > [@Nava](#): > > I’ve mostly heard/read “Latina”, both from Anglos and Latinos - not “Latina woman”, but “Latina”. OK, so “Latino woman” is trying to be more similar to, say, “African-American woman”, but thing is… Latino is a word English has acquired from Spanish, and the people who use it are familiar with the gender declension it carries in the original. Looks to me like a case of hypercorrection, someone saying “the way everybody says it isn’t proper English!” But the equivalent of “African-American Woman” would be “Latin-American Woman” not “Latino Woman”. So, frankly, if they want to sound like that, they should go all out and sound like that. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/18 "2011-09-13T20:28:27Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Or Lake Lagunita at Stanford. For all its redundancy, you’d think Lake Lag would be an actual lake! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/19 "2011-09-14T21:12:32Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I would say “female Latina woman of the XX gender”. Just to make sure no one thought she was a man. You can’t be too careful these days. > > OK, seriously, as was said earlier, it would be up to the style guide you were using. “Latina woman” sounds ridiculously redundant to me, but I hardly notice when people talk about “The El Camino [Real]” in the Bay Area. Or Lake Lagunita at Stanford. Say whatever sounds best to you. Or, my favorite, “the La Brea tar pits,” which, if translated literally, would be “the The Tar tar pits.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149/20 "2011-09-14T21:17:09Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > Personally, as other’s said, I’d go with Latino/Latina. If I needed to use it with man or woman, this is what I’d go with because “Latin” would be the English equivalent of Latino/Latina. Latina Woman just sounds redundant, and Latino Woman sounds confused. I think “Latin woman” would be confusing. It just doesn’t sound right to my ear. We say “Latin music”, but not “Latin person”. We might say she was Latin American, but I just can’t see myself saying “Latin woman”. Hispanic woman, yes, but not Latin. To me, it evokes a woman speaking Latin. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Or, my favorite, “the La Brea tar pits,” which, if translated literally, would be “the The Tar tar pits.” That’s a good one! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-say-latino-woman-in-english/596149.md?page=2)