By Whom, When and Where was invented the word " Gringo " ?
It refers to the people who speak only English in the USA, does not matter the color, religion, social status, or political ideologies.
Answer:
The Spanish etymologist Joan Corominas states that gringo is derived from griego (Spanish for "Greek"), the proverbial name for an unintelligible language (a usage found also in the Shakespearean "it was Greek to me" and its derivative "It's all Greek to me"). From referring simply to language, it was extended to people speaking foreign tongues and to their physical features.
Word History: In Latin America the word gringo is an offensive term for a foreigner, particularly an American or English person. But the word existed in Spanish before this particular sense came into being. In fact, gringo may be an alteration of the word griego, the Spanish development of Latin Graecus, "Greek." Griego first meant "Greek, Grecian," as an adjective and "Greek, Greek language," as a noun. The saying "It's Greek to me" exists in Spanish, as it does in English, and helps us understand why griego came to mean "unintelligible language" and perhaps, by further extension of this idea, "stranger, that is, one who speaks a foreign language." The altered form gringo lost touch with Greek but has the senses "unintelligible language," "foreigner, especially an English person," and in Latin America, "North American or Britisher." Its first recorded English use (1849) is in John Woodhouse Audubon's Western Journal: "We were hooted and shouted at as we passed through, and called 'Gringoes.'"
Same as gaijin in Japanese. foreigner
When it was either an army from Texas, or the States went to mexico, they wore green coats. The Mexicans would say "Green, Go" which sounded like Gringo,
The version I heard but could not verify is that when the Americans fought mexico the U.S. soldiers had green uniforms, and in trying to get the U.S. to leave the Mexicans would shout "Green Go" would be more understandable than "Vete Verde" But the U.S. did not leave until someone got an "AZZ WHUPPIN"
I think that "Gringo" was used to mention the Italians who came to live in America.
Later the Latinos called the Americans "Gringos" ..
Its a term in spanish and portugese languages used in latin american countries to describe any people of another culture, and in some cases latins americans from another counrty. Its just that since we are in the USA we dont hear them calling Brits or South Africans gringos all that often.
It comes from the spanish word griego. Which means greek. It originally came to be used describing anyone that speaks a different language, or had different physical features. We have all heard the term. "Its greek to me" it started along the same lines
Here is another interesting theory....my Great grandfather first told me about this when I was a little girl...he used to run cattle in South Texas when he was a boy.... He died in 1968 at the age of 101....I loved his stories....
This ballad is based on a similar song, Green Grows the Laurel, that was popular in 17th century Scotland. The American ballad tells the story of an American soldier's love for a Mexican lass. Though I don't have the words for the earlier version, it evidently had a similar theme, albeit with different nationalities.
There are countless versions of the song, I have included only two.
One story of the songs origin speculates that Cowboys in South Texas loved to sing the song. Across the way, Mexicans, who could not understand the words, could only hear "GREEN GROW". So white Americans became known as "Gringo" by the Mexicans. However, other scholars date the term to the incursion of American troops in Mexico to search for Pancho Villa.
And - here it is.............
Green grow the lilacs, all sparkling with dew
I'm lonely, my darling, since parting with you;
But by our next meeting I'll hope to prove true
And change the green lilacs to the Red, White and Blue.
Green grow the lilacs reminding me of
The ones that I brought you with all of my love,
The gates of my country will open for you
And change the green lilacs to the Red, White and Blue.
Green grow the lilacs, Your favorite flow'r,
So sweetly perfuming - a sad parting hour.
Oh send me a message - That you love me too,
Let's change the green lilacs to the Red, White and Blue
In spain and Latin america, a taboo term for an English -speaking foreigner.
A word invented in reaction to English (or America)Military and / or Economic Imperialism.
word Gringo was invented in 1836 when the troops of the US started to invade the north and people tells that an emissary was sent from Arizona to Chihuahua in a message to a general "Green goes to Chihuahua", that a commander Green (last name) was going to attack Chihuahua, when the troops saw that they approached said "ahi vienen los Gringos (Green goes)" (here comes the Gringos) because the troops thought that Gringos was the name of the nationality of the people that came from the north.
According to Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz, the word originated during the Spanish-American war in 1898 because Americans would wear green uniforms and in their understanding the Spanish speakers would understand "gringo" for "green go" when the American soldiers were commanded to fight
The immigration information post by website user , MyTend.com not guarantee correctness