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Date: Wed, 13 Mar 2002 11:53:04 -0500 (EST)
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From: "Ann Gillespie" <ann@prolinguanashville.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:7435] Re: Gringo etymology
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I'm with the song-- except I thought it was "Green Grow the Lilacs" (if
memory serves). We learned about this in my 6th grade music class.
Supposedly American soldiers sang the song and the name "gringo" caught on
from there. Too bad I can't remember the name of my 6th grade music
teacher. So much for an authoritative source.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gustav Kocsis" <GKocsis@santa-fe.cc.nm.us>
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 10:36 AM
Subject: [NIFL-ESL:7433] Re: Gringo etymology
> There is no punch line...
> "green grow the rushes" is the story most attributed to the use of gringo.
> As I understand that this song was very popular at the time of the
> Spanish-American war. As graduate students ( many decades ago) in
> Anthropology and Linguistics we did some research on this and we found
this
> to be the best explanation of the derogatory characteristics of this word.
I
> remember that we found the publication date of the song and it was about
the
> time of the war. Thank you
> Gustav
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lorraine Dutton [mailto:lad-oh@etop.org]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 4:55 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:7430] Re: Gringo etymology
>
>
> Gustav,
>
> There are theories that it came from the Mexican-American War, when U.S.
> soldiers sang "Green grow the rushes" ("green grow" became "gringo").
> However, the word was used long before that in Spain as a term for anyone
> who spoke Spanish badly (or in reference to the Irish!).
>
> Maybe there's a punchline to your question, Gustav.... If so, I would love
> to hear it! :)
>
> Lorraine
>
> At 06:38 PM 3/12/02 -0500, you wrote:
> >Loraine:
> >it makes sense but that is not the answer. Any other guesses?
> >Gustav
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Lorraine Dutton [mailto:lad-oh@etop.org]
> >Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 3:50 PM
> >To: Multiple recipients of list
> >Subject: [NIFL-ESL:7426] Re: Gringo etymology
> >
> >
> >There are some quite interesting theories out there about its origin, but
I
> >think the most credible is that it came from "griego," the Spanish word
for
> >"Greek." Like the English, "It's all Greek to me!"
> >
> >Lorraine
> >
> >At 05:32 PM 3/12/02 -0500, you wrote:
> > >to all who are into trivial information! Do you know from where or how
> the
> > >word gringo came about? I want to see how many might know the answer.
> > >
> > >-----Original Message-----
> > >From: julester bennett [mailto:julesterb@yahoo.com]
> > >Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 2:46 PM
> > >To: Multiple recipients of list
> > >Subject: [NIFL-ESL:7424] Re: French dictionary
> > >
> > >
> > >I love the term 'gringo' and often referred to myself
> > >as the gringa when leaving phone messages in Mexico.
> > >Even better is saying that you are from 'gringolandia'
> > >Julester
> > >--- "Lalyre, Yvonne L" <YLalyre@doe.mass.edu> wrote:
> > > > I would like to push the argument below further. I
> > > > feel the same way when
> > > > someone protests about the use of "gringo" to refer
> > > > to US Americans. I don't
> > > > feel it is insensitive. The term is short and it
> > > > never meant anything
> > > > negative to me or the people I know who use it. I
> > > > heard that the use of
> > > > the term "American"originated in Europe during the
> > > > WWII, when the US
> > > > soldiers were referred to as the "Americans". So,
> > > > it is not a self-
> > > > adjudicated right. If US Americans don't feel that
> > > > the rest of the people
> > > > born in the continent should be offended by that
> > > > misguided determination,
> > > > then they should not object to being called
> > > > "gringos".
> > > > ivonne lalyre
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: julester bennett [mailto:julesterb@yahoo.com]
> > > > Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 4:19 PM
> > > > To: Multiple recipients of list
> > > > Subject: [NIFL-ESL:7406] Re: French dictionary
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Bill, I experienced the same feelings toward the
> > > > term
> > > > 'Americans' used in Mexico. My students also pointed
> > > > out that we were in fact all Americans. However, we
> > > > always came back to the same question, what should
> > > > we
> > > > call those born in the United States of America. I
> > > > don't think teachers using the term are insensitive
> > > > rather they are just lacking another term to replace
> > > > it. Do you have any suggestions?
> > > > Julester Bennett
> > > > --- WMFisher40@aol.com wrote:
> > > > > In a message dated 3/8/02 5:52:20 AM Eastern
> > > > > Standard Time,
> > > > > banerjee@emmanuel.edu writes:
> > > > >
> > > > > > ... the ignorance of their American classmates
> > > > > >
> > > > > Gouri: As a person who has taught and mentored
> > > > many
> > > > > students from the
> > > > > continents of North and South America, I was very
> > > > > uncomfortable with your
> > > > > choice of the phrase "their American classmates."
> > > > > America is several very
> > > > > large continents, as you well know, larger than
> > > > > Africa is. Like Africa,
> > > > > however,
> > > > > it consists of many different countries and
> > > > > cultures. The people who live in
> > > > > these
> > > > > countries and cultures are distinctive in
> > > > language,
> > > > > culture, history, and
> > > > > ethnicity, as you are aware. To put them in one
> > > > > generic category shows
> > > > > little sensitivity to their distinctnesss. When a
> > > > > teacher does this, I
> > > > > find it particularly disturbing. My students from
> > > > > Mexico, Guatemala,
> > > > > Paraguay, etc., often complain aboout the
> > > > ignorance
> > > > > of their foreign
> > > > > classmates about the American continents; they
> > > > are
> > > > > troubled and
> > > > > saddened about this. I often wonder why so many
> > > > > teachers remain
> > > > > ignorant?
> > > > >
> > > > > - Bill Fisher
> > > > >
> > > > > p.s. In truth, there is no reason to make more
> > > > > distinctions than are
> > > > > necessary for the point you're trying to make,
> > > > > except for the political
> > > > > goal of painting yourself as more knowledeable and
> > > > > sensitive than others.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > __________________________________________________
> > > > Do You Yahoo!?
> > > > Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free
> > > > email!
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> > >
> > >
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