language Archives

Cholo: 23 Facts About the History of the Word

V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiJanuary 17, 2020July 20, 2020

by V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiJanuary 17, 2020July 20, 2020035270

Lowriders, skinny eyebrows, winged eyeliner, Dickies, and Ben Davis. East Los Angeles, El Paso’s Segundo Barrio, the Southwest, and San Francisco’s Mission District. There is a certain aesthetic and lifestyle that comes to mind when you hear the word “cholo”...

Culture

14 Taíno Words You Didn’t Even Realize You Knew

V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiAugust 6, 2019July 29, 2020

by V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiAugust 6, 2019July 29, 2020065081

Taíno is an Arawakan language spoken by the Taíno, Ciboney, Lucayan, and Yamaye peoples of what is now Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and across the Caribbean. It was the first Indigenous language encountered by European colonizers, so...

Culture

30 Words You Can Learn Right Now in Nahuatl

V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiMay 18, 2019August 7, 2020

by V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiMay 18, 2019August 7, 2020076878

Indigenous culture is an integral part of Latinx culture. There are a lot of things we do, eat, and say that actually have roots or a direct link to the native people of today’s Latin America. Take the Nahuatl language,...

Culture

13 Quechua Words You Probably Already Know!

V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiApril 22, 2019August 11, 2020

by V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiApril 22, 2019August 11, 2020019073

The Dora the Explorer live action movie is almost here. Dora and the Lost City of Gold, starring our favorite Latinx adventurer, is set to be released on July 31. We recently learned that in the film, Dora speaks some...

Culture

10 Things To Know About Caló, a.k.a. Chicano Slang

HipLatinaDecember 6, 2018August 19, 2020

by HipLatinaDecember 6, 2018August 19, 2020042916

In case you’ve never heard of it, Caló is a Chicano dialect, or slang, spoken by Mexican-Americans in Southwest, L.A., along the border, and beyond. Like Chicano culture itself, Caló contains a blend of Mexican, Spanish, and American influences. Let’s take...

Culture

Is the Word ‘Ghetto’ Racist?

Johanna FerreiraDecember 1, 2018October 29, 2020

by Johanna FerreiraDecember 1, 2018October 29, 2020143872

I never realized how racially charged the word “ghetto” was until I had a couple of cringe-worthy experiences recently. After witnessing a few people use the terms “ghetto” and “ratchet” to describe people of color or things associated with people...

Culture Family

7 Ways To Make Learning Spanish Easier

HipLatinaNovember 3, 2018August 31, 2020

by HipLatinaNovember 3, 2018August 31, 202002463

Learning a new language, or perfecting a language you know takes work. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, learning an idioma like Spanish can seem daunting. Where to start? How to streamline the process? Is there any way...

Culture

15 Spanish Words with Arabic Origins

HipLatinaOctober 20, 2018August 3, 2020

by HipLatinaOctober 20, 2018August 3, 2020014770

Arabs began arriving in what is now Spain in 711, and have had a presence in the country ever since. It is no surprise then, that about 4000 words or 8% of the Spanish language are of Arabic origin. In...

News and Entertainment

7 Spanish Words That Mean Different Things Across Latin America

HipLatinaSeptember 4, 2018September 3, 2020

by HipLatinaSeptember 4, 2018September 3, 2020047452

When traveling, and/or interacting with Latinos from different countries, it’s important to know that a word in your culture can mean something completely different in another! For example, mona means monkey in Spanish, but it’s also used to describe a...

Family

How to Get on Any Latina Mom’s Good Side

Priscilla BlossomMay 13, 2018October 29, 2020

by Priscilla BlossomMay 13, 2018October 29, 2020018916

Moms can be hard to impress. Whether it’s our own moms or our best friend’s or significant other’s mama, it can sometimes feel like we can never be good enough. As a mother myself, I know that one of the...

Culture

Artist Agnes Chavez on Art and Science Education

Diana RicoMay 1, 2018October 2, 2020

by Diana RicoMay 1, 2018October 2, 20202 2278

In 2015, when President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act, it signaled a turning point in US public Education. A sweeping reform of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind, ESSA allows schools to move away from “teaching...

Culture

¡¿Say Qué?! Latino Slang from 11 Different Countries

V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiFebruary 20, 2018October 29, 2020

by V. Alexandra de F. SzoenyiFebruary 20, 2018October 29, 20202 16195

The fact that most people in Latin American countries speak Spanish helps unify us as a people, but when it comes to slang, each country has words that set them apart from the others. You may be completely fluent in...