Latino or Latinx? The Linguistic Debate Over Inclusive Terms

By Lauren Gilger
Published: Tuesday, May 25, 2021 - 12:06pm
Updated: Tuesday, May 25, 2021 - 4:05pm

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The term "Latinx" is being used by many in the left-leaning academic set as a more gender-inclusive form of “Latino” or “Latina," but it’s also stirring up quite a bit of controversy — especially among people of Latin American descent in the U.S.

According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, only about 3% of people in that group actually use the term, even though a quarter of them have heard of it.

So, what’s the debate all about?

The Show spoke with Megan Figueroa, a linguist at the University of Arizona who co-hosts the "Vocal Fries" podcast about how to navigate issues of what they call linguistic discrimination. And she said changes like this are part of language, and linguists like her love them.

megan figueroa
Megan Figueroa
Megan Figueroa

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