Pocho (feminine: pocha) is slang in Spanish used in Mexico to refer to Mexican Americans and Mexican emigrants.[1][2] It is often used pejoratively to describe a person of Mexican ancestry who lacks fluency in Spanish and knowledge of Mexican culture.[3] It derives from the Spanish word pocho, used to describe fruit that has become rotten or discolored.[4]

The term can refer to the following:

  • A Mexican American or expat who speaks broken or no Spanish.
  • A Mexican American who speaks Anglicized Spanish, colloquially known as Spanglish.[5]
  • A Mexican that has emigrated from Mexico and settled or naturalized in another country.
  • A Mexican that travels, works, or lives outside of Mexico for an extended period of time. e.g. Mexican students studying abroad.
  • A Mexican that does not adhere to traditional Mexican culture, customs, and etiquette.
  • A nickname in Argentina (Pocho or Pocha). For example, the popular Argentine president Juan Perón was called "El Pocho" as well as the Argentinian football players Ezequiel Lavezzi and Federico Insúa.
  • A 1959 Chicano novel by José Antonio Villarreal.

Pochos are usually identified by their use of non-standard Spanish. Code-switching—and the use of loanwords—is common, as in many languages; however, it is the overall use of words and phrases popular in English-language/American culture translated into Spanish, sometimes quite literally, that may earn one the label of “pocho/a” from others. Code-switching often involves inserting English prepositions or objective nouns, such as saying "Voy a ir shopping ahora en el supermarket", or “I am going shopping now at the supermarket”.

Modified loanwords are referred to as "pochismos", and will usually sound quite similar to their English-language counterpart. Examples include:

  • mopear instead of trapear (to mop)
  • troque instead of camion (truck)
  • parquear instead of estacionar (to park)
  • chequear instead of mirar or verificar (to check, to look, to inspect or to verify)
  • noquear instead of derribar (to known, knock-down, or knock-over)
  • rapear (to rap), instead of rimar (to rhyme)

A clear example of a popular American phrase that has been adopted, by people familiar with both cultures, would be Clint Eastwood's famous quote, “Make my day”, which has been increasingly used in Spanish as "Hacer mi día."

Pocho is also a Hawaiian Pidgin English slang term used to describe an individual of Portuguese descent.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The battle for the craziest michelada is on. But how much is too much?". Los Angeles Times. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  2. ↑ Kanellos, Nicolàs; Esteva-Fabregat, Claudia; Weaver, Thomas (1 January 1994). Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States: Anthropology. Arte Publico Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-61192-161-8.
  3. ↑ Romero, Abril (21 June 2018). "Hispanic, Latino, And Other Words You've Been Using Wrong Your Whole Life". culturacolectiva.com. Cultura Colectiva. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Pocho". SpanishDict. Curiosity Media, Inc. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  5. ↑ D'Amore, Anna Maria (2009). Translating Contemporary Mexican Texts: Fidelity to Alterity. New York: Peter Lang. p. 79. ISBN 978-1-4331-0499-2.
  6. ↑ "Pidgin Dictionary". Pidgen English. e-Hawaii.com. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
Look up Pocho in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  • Definition of pocho
  • "A Note on 'Pochismo'" by William E. Wilson, The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 30, No. 6 (Oct. 1946), pp. 345–346 (Available online at JSTOR - membership required)
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