Learning a Spanish Accent

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by caliber1

... I have a neighbor who is Mexican but born here in the US...

What would that be? Born in the Mexican embassy? Born before Guadalupe Hidalgo?

[Rusty]

... neighbor who is of Mexican descent but born ...

[chileno]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

What would that be? Born in the Mexican embassy? Born before Guadalupe Hidalgo?

Many Americans confuse race with nationality.

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by chileno

Many Americans confuse race with nationality.

Assuming those Americans are from the United States and not from Peru, Brazil or Canada, what do they have in mind when they speak of a Mexican race? A Mayan? Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong and his slant eyes? A lady from Durango that resembles Frida Kahlo? Carlos Slim Helú -the richest man in the world- and his kin? Louis CK? Or a generic, multi-purpose, all-terrain dude or dudette having 75% American Mongoloid genes and 25% Caucasian genes? (If so, what is exactly the racial difference with a Guatemalan? -A quote from Crash comes to mind: Ria: "You want a lesson? I'll give you a lesson. How 'bout a geography lesson? My father's from Puerto Rico. My mother's from El Salvador. Neither one of those is Mexico." | Graham: "Ah. Well then I guess the big mystery is, who gathered all those remarkably different cultures together and taught them all how to park their cars on their lawns?")

It amazes me the effort they put to sort out bloods and still appear as politically correct, for instance in Scotty McCreery's biography and his (not-truly-american?) granny.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

Assuming those Americans are from the United States and not from Peru, Brazil or Canada, what do they have in mind when they speak of a Mexican race? A Mayan? Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong and his slant eyes? A lady from Durango that resembles Frida Kahlo? Carlos Slim Helú -the richest man in the world- and his kin? Louis CK? Or a generic, multi-purpose, all-terrain dude or dudette having 75% American Mongoloid genes and 25% Caucasian genes? (If so, what is exactly the racial difference with a Guatemalan? -A quote from Crash comes to mind: Ria: "You want a lesson? I'll give you a lesson. How 'bout a geography lesson? My father's from Puerto Rico. My mother's from El Salvador. Neither one of those is Mexico." | Graham: "Ah. Well then I guess the big mystery is, who gathered all those remarkably different cultures together and taught them all how to park their cars on their lawns?")

It amazes me the effort they put to sort out bloods and still appear as politically correct, for instance in Scotty McCreery's biography and his (not-truly-american?) granny.

The term "American" depends of the context in which it is used.

If a person says "I am an American" and the person was born in the United States of America, he is just stating he is a natural of this country.

If you or I say we are Americans, we are stating we belong to the continent América.

That's all.

It is the same problem I am alluding when I said that americans (naturals of this (USA) country) confuse race with nationality.

In your case, you confuse a country with a continent.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Alec: Although this may not necessarily be the interpretation given to the word "Mexican" in this thread, you can actually be a Mexican born in the USA. Mexican government recognizes Mexican nationality to the children of Mexican parents. (Three generations of people born in the USA can keep Mexican nationality if they have demanded it from Mexican government.)

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by chileno

In your case, you confuse a country with a continent.

Yes, it's certainly me . It certainly should come from not following Teddy Roosevelt teachings.

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Alec: Although this may not necessarily be the interpretation given to the word "Mexican" in this thread, you can actually be a Mexican born in the USA. Mexican government recognizes Mexican nationality to the children of Mexican parents. (Three generations of people born in the USA can keep Mexican nationality if they have demanded it from Mexican government.)

Good to know. Here we favour ius soli over ius sanguinis. Anyway I'm currently applying for Italian citizenship, just in case the local political and economical developments go more south becoming even more Chavez-like.

[poli]

Italy isn't good either Alec, but at least they got rid of Il Cavaliere. In English we often say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. From what I've seen, Argentina has a good standard of living.

I'm sure I've written something similar to this before but most natives of the USA do not refer to themselves as Americans because of Teddy Roosevelt's or Monroe's expansionist visions, but because of a lack of a good easy way of saying it any other way. There is no term United Statesians. As of yet we have little other choice. When US citizens call themselves Americans, it may sound jingoistic(although some are) to the rest of America, but it's used mainly because of a lack of a better term. Of course in Spanish you may say estado unidense, but that sounds very clunky to me too. I use it nevertheless.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

Yes, it's certainly me . It certainly should come from not following Teddy Roosevelt teachings.

Not sure what you are talking about, but, since you mentioned you are trying to get the Italian citizenship, and here I am assuming, I take it you have an Italian surname.

Not sure, but most likely your family has already been in Argentina for some generation(s), so you were born in Argentina, and your ancestors were Italian.

I bet some people in Argentina, friends and others would call you "tano" (Italian) even though you were born in Argentina.

Well, are you Italian or are you Argentinian? You cannot be both.

Now, the people that call you "tano", are they being mean or racist in anyway? They at any moment call you "tano" in anger, are they being racists or just angry at you?

Originally Posted by poli

Italy isn't good either Alec, but at least they got rid of Il Cavaliere. In English we often say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. From what I've seen, Argentina has a good standard of living.

I'm sure I've written something similar to this before but most natives of the USA do not refer to themselves as Americans because of Teddy Roosevelt's or Monroe's expansionist visions, but because of a lack of a good easy way of saying it any other way. There is no term United Statesians. As of yet we have little other choice. When US citizens call themselves Americans, it may sound jingoistic(although some are) to the rest of America, but it's used mainly because of a lack of a better term. Of course in Spanish you may say estado unidense, but that sounds very clunky to me too. I use it nevertheless.

When you say the rest of America, you're talking about the continent, clearly.

Estado unidense, is indeed clunky, moreover, it is wrong because Mexican could be called estado unidenses too, since there is that "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" in the name of their country.

Norteamericano isn't a choice either, since Canada and Mexico co-exist with America, in America (the continent)

OK, I'll lay it off now.

[caliber1]

Oops. I didn't mean to start a debate I promise. I meant nothing bad when I said I had a neighbor who is Mexican. I may have been able to word that better