When the question "What is a gringo?" is asked, it becomes obvious that some people have no idea about this concept. Because this word does not refer to any object, but to a person. It will be even more interesting to find out who it is - gringo, delving into the history of this concept.
General view
First, let's get a general idea of what "gringo" means. This word is called a foreigner who speaks English. As a rule, it is used in Spanish-speaking countries. At the same time, in different countries, it means slightly different characteristics.
For example, in Brazil "gringo" is the name given to all tourists who come from Europe and North America and communicate in English. Argentines believe that it is easier to describe people with blond hair this way. Mexicans prepare dishes of the same name.
At the same time, in Latin America, "gringo" is the name of a foreigner who does not speak Spanish or Portuguese, which has a contemptuouscoloring. This is especially true for Americans. There are opinions of some experts who believe that this word itself does not refer to curses, but is slang. It only becomes pejorative when used in the appropriate context.
Early mention
The word was originally used in Spain to distinguish foreign citizens who do not speak Spanish as their first language. One of the earliest references to it is in a 1786 Castilian dictionary edited by Terrero and Pando.
It says that in Malaga "gringo" refers to those foreigners who have such a strong accent that they can not communicate fully in Castilian. The same word is also used in Madrid, but most often it is used to refer to the Irish.
Scientists disagree
Among etymologists, the prevailing opinion is that “gringo” is most likely a variant of the Spanish word griego, meaning “Greek”. The fact is that among the Spaniards the expression "to speak Greek" was equivalent to the phrase "to speak incomprehensibly".
But there is also an assumption that the transition from griego to gringo seems unlikely from a phonetic point of view. This is because such a transformation would require two steps: first from griego to grigo and then from grigo to gringo. While the word gringo can be derived faster from the language of the Spanish gypsies, which is called "kalo". This language has the word peregringo, meaning peregrine, traveler, stranger.
Folketymology
In conclusion of the study of the question of who this gringo is, we will consider two more versions. Many Mexicans believe that this word owes its origin to their country. They have a version that most etymologists classify as false. It lies in the fact that allegedly "gringo" comes from the name of the song Green grow the lilacs (lilacs turn green), which was very common during the US-Mexican War of 1846-1848.
Another option related to this war is also proposed. In 1846, United States troops broke into the northern Mexican states. As a motive, the US put forward the support of American colonial farmers. In practice, they have been using vast Mexican lands that were previously uninhabited for a decade. They set up a slave labor system there.
At the same time, in the regions mentioned (primarily in Upper California and New Mexico), where, along with the colonists from the United States, the local population lived, there was an actual seizure of land and their inclusion in the jurisdiction of the United States.
As you know, at that time the military uniform of the Americans was green. And the Mexicans shouted after them: “Greens, go away!”, Which in English sounds like “Green, go home!”. Subsequently, this expression was reduced to Green go and turned into gringo.