[ssupermegatone]

This thread is directed towards our U.S. posters, and particularly those of Latin American origin.

US culture is hyper sensitive about anything that can be perceived as racial discrimination. It goes to the extent that even imitating someone's language or accent can be seen as "racist" and insulting.

• If I were in a conversation with a Japanese-American and I kept referring to Japanese people as "Ni-hon-jin" in my best Japanese accent, they would find that very offensive.
• If I were in a conversation with a Chinese-American and I referred to Chinese people using the Chinese word and imitating the Chinese accent, they would also likely take offense to it.

However, I constantly hear US citizens and US media use the word "Latinos" with an attempted Mexican accent. It drives me completely insane. I remember discussing this with a guy. He had an Italian name and he told me that when he'd make phone calls for his job people would hear his name and immediately start saying his name in a Mexican accent. WHY?! I can't understand the need to do this.

My question is, do Hispanics ever find this offensive the way other ethnic groups would? Why do you suppose the US has decided that this is the one ethnic group whose pronunciation we're going to imitate? I can't be the only person who has noticed this.

[Morageort]

Yes it bothers me

I have a Colombian accent and it's nothing like the Mexican one
Also it bothers that since I speak Spanish I most be Mexican or idk

Well I'm not , I'm Colombian , the best

[97dYA9L3]

Yes it bothers me

I have a Colombian accent and it's nothing like the Mexican one
Also it bothers that since I speak Spanish I most be Mexican or idk

Well I'm not , I'm Colombian , the best

Wich colombian accent do you mean? There's lots of colombian regional accents from what ive heard.

[AssinHT]

Yes it bothers me

I have a Colombian accent and it's nothing like the Mexican one
Also it bothers that since I speak Spanish I most be Mexican or idk

Well I'm not , I'm Colombian , the best

I'm assuming you have a Spanish language name. Do people try to pronounce it with a Mexican accent when they talk to you?

[crumoursegemo]

Wich colombian accent do you mean? There's lots of colombian regional accents from what ive heard.

Medellin . El acento paisano

---------- Post added 2012-05-09 at 17:18 ----------

I'm assuming you have a Spanish language name. Do people try to pronounce it with a Mexican accent when they talk to you?

My first name yea
My last name no, they pronounce it like in Italian almost sounding like " Medici "
But it's wrong , it's funny

[popsicesHoupe]

okay i dont get your question, so you are saying hispanics pronounce names differently? and there is no mexican accent.
okay can a latino here tell me how do they pronouce my name in their country... Jose Miguel

are you asking mexicans if it bothers us if they immitate our accent?

[Saduyre9de]

Yes it bothers me

I have a Colombian accent and it's nothing like the Mexican one
Also it bothers that since I speak Spanish I most be Mexican or idk

Well I'm not , I'm Colombian , the best

If you're in Miami, or Florida in general, they'll never take you for a mexian. There are tons of colombians there (as well as people from all countries in latin america, very mixed).

---------- Post added 2012-05-09 at 22:02 ----------

Btw, on this subject, check out this clip that I ran across a few months ago. See the number of dislikes? I was surprised by how pissed off people get at this colombian chick doing a semi-poor impression of a mexican accent:



It's just a young girl fucking around a bit, being silly. I don't see what the big deal is, but do seem to get annoyed

[yespkorg]

Oh my god. Who the fuck cares?

My first language is Spanish. I don't care one bit if the typical yank will keep on pronouncing my name wrong by using the wrong entonation EVERY---SINGLE---TIME. It doesn't mean anything.

I don't get why the Americunts have become such an annoying politically oversensitive pack in the course of the last decades. Suddenly, you have to pay attention to the way the pronounciation of a particular national meal or it's racist otherwise.

Am I supposed to start yelling at the waitress that said "Shili con karn" when she was checking my order in a bar in Vancouver since she mispronounced it?


What else? So John Dough thinks Spanish = Mexican. Well too bad for him, it's his ignorance, not mine. I know that I don't speak Mexican spanish, do I haaaaaave to be vocal about it all the fucking time? No.


Seriously, grow up.
What next: Czech people are unsensitive, they heard me talking Spanish and asked me if I spoke Italian?

[estheticianI]

Oh my god. Who the fuck cares?

My first language is Spanish. I don't care one bit if the typical yank will keep on pronouncing my name wrong by using the wrong entonation EVERY---SINGLE---TIME. It doesn't mean anything.

I don't get why the Americunts have become such an annoying politically oversensitive pack in the course of the last decades. Suddenly, you have to pay attention to the way the pronounciation of a particular national meal or it's racist otherwise.

Am I supposed to start yelling at the waitress that said "Shili con karn" when she was checking my order in a bar in Vancouver since she mispronounced it?


What else? So John Dough thinks Spanish = Mexican. Well too bad for him, it's his ignorance, not mine. I know that I don't speak Mexican spanish, do I haaaaaave to be vocal about it all the fucking time? No.


Seriously, grow up.
What next: Czech people are unsensitive, they heard me talking Spanish and asked me if I spoke Italian?

I don't think you understand the post. Do you live in the US?

[lungumnentibe]

Actually, I think Mexicans get offended by not using a Spanish accent.

Mexicans always seem to correct me when I say a Mexican-spanish word and I use English phonemes.

For instance, I might say "tortilla", and would pronouce it Tor- tia, and a Mexican person might say, you mean a "TORRR (rolling toung) TEEE-AAA" and use some smart-ass tone.

Or maybe I would ask for a caballo beer, and i would say "cah bah lo". I was once corrected by some random mexican lady who said, I don't what a "cah bah lo" is, but I know what ca Bi Ello is.

Because of stuff like that I feel pressured to pronounce Spanish words correctly.


I really don't like when a Mexican with no accent pronounces all the Spanish word in Mexican-spanish phonemes. For example, a women might say, " and all you need is dash of salt, some beef steak and bunch of cilantro", and everyword will be in correct American-English except "cilantro". It kind of comes off as snobbish.

[MasTaBlau]

^Tbh if their first language is spanish, pronouncing 'cilantro' in a gringo way might feel silly and unnatural.

[xIuvyAuT]

and everyword will be in correct American-English except "cilantro". It kind of comes off as snobbish.

This is basically what my entire post boils down to. So often I hear people pull this annoying crap.