Why We're Called Gringo

Pedro wrote:my espanol of any sort sucks and is extremely minimal.

After all the years you've lived here and with all the Mexican amigos you claim to have I find that hard to believe.
Echele ganas, ponte las pilas.

viajero wrote:

Pedro wrote:my espanol of any sort sucks and is extremely minimal.

After all the years you've lived here and with all the Mexican amigos you claim to have I find that hard to believe.
Echele ganas, ponte las pilas.

Los mensos no se pueden "ponte las pilas"  

I have heard various explanations for the origin of Gringo, including
that it comes from the era of the Mexican-American War (1845). In
doing a little research I am submitting a derivation by the Spanish
linguist Joan Corominas, who claims that Gringo was used in Spain and
the Spanish language before the Mexican-American War. He notes that
it comes from the word Greek (griego) and refers to someone who does
not speak Spanish and therefore is unintelligible – "It's all Greek
to me". Depending on the country, Gringo can refer to any non-Spanish
speaker, be he/she American, Canadian, Italian, French, German etc. I
suppose because of the proximity of Mexico to the U.S. and Canada,
Gringo is applied to English-speaking North American citizens. I
know, however, that in Mexico Gringo is applied equally to Irish,
Scots, English, South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders.
Etymology
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 - similar to the
development of the ancient Greek word βάρβαρος (bárbaros) -
"Barbarian". The term gringo was used in Spanish long before the
Mexiican-American War (1845).

Griego at Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico,
Vol. III, Joan Corominas, José A. Pascual, Editorial Gredos, Madrid,
1989, ISBN 84-249-1365-5

Mexico, Central America, and northern South America: In these areas
the word may mean specifically a U.S. citizen, though it can be used
in referring to Europeans. This should not be confused with gachupín,
which is used only for people of Spanish origin, and makes reference
to the Spanish colonists of the 15th century.
Southern South America: In this region a gringo is a person from
North America, In Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, the word most often
just means generally a foreigner (when used as a noun) or foreign (as
an adjective); it may refer more specifically to the typical
foreigner that visits the country as a tourist, being very light-
skinned and/or speaking a foreign language. In Argentina, a country
of large European immigration, all European immigrants other than
Spaniards, particularly Italians, are colloquially called gringos. It
is most often not pejorative and may even carry positive
connotations, especially when used as an adjective. It is often used
as an endearing nickname for any fair-skinned or fair-haired person
of whatever origin.

"The Word Detective" - The most likely source of "gringo" is the
Spanish word "gringo" itself, which means "foreigner"
or "unintelligible gibberish." The root of "gringo," in turn, is
thought to have been "griego," Spanish for "Greek," often applied as
slang to any foreigner. But why, I hear you ask, Greeks? Because the
Greek language has long been a convenient metaphor for anything
foreign and unintelligible. Even the Romans had a Latin phrase for
the feeling of being stymied by the unfamiliar: "Graecum est; non
potest legi." Translation? "It is Greek -- it cannot be read," or as
we say today, "It's Greek to me."

While the earliest English-language usage is from the 1840s, the earliest
use of gringo in Spanish is far older than the Mexican-American War or
Bolivar's 1819 liberation campaign. According to Rawson, it appears in
the Diccionario Castellano in 1787. That dictionary says that it was used
in Malaga to refer to anyone who spoke Spanish badly, and in Madrid in
reference to the Irish. Gringo probably comes from the Spanish griego, or
Greek. So it is akin to the phrase it's Greek to me (or in Spanish hablar en
griego) and the word barbarian.
Given its 1849 English debut, it seems likely that it was in fact brought
back by US soldiers, but had nothing to do with any songs.

This explains the "song" theory, but strongly suggests a more likley
evolution of the language. This lead me to a more definitive source,
"spanish.about.com":
Gringo
From Gerald Erichsen,
Your Guide to Spanish Language.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
Spanish word: gringo (used as a noun or adjective)
English word: gringo
Etymology: The origin of the Spanish word is uncertain, although it is
likely to have come from griego, the word for "Greek." As in English, in
Spanish it has long been common to refer to an unintelligible language as
Greek ("It's Greek to me," or "Habla en griego"). So over time, griego's
apparent variant, gringo, came to refer to a foreign language and to
foreigners in general. The first known written English use of the word
was in 1849 by an explorer.
Folk etymology: It has been said that gringo originated in Mexico during
the Mexican-American war because Americans would sing the song
"Green Grow the Lilies." As the word originated in Spain long before
there was a Spanish-speaking Mexico, there is no truth to this urban
legend. In fact, at one time, the word in Spain was often used to refer
specifically to the Irish. And according to a 1787 dictionary, it often
referred to someone who spoke Spanish poorly.

arbon wrote:

Pedro wrote:in my barrio i have convinced the people that i am not a gringo so they call me pedro "hoser" as i taught them.

"HOSER"...Spanish.. (Canadian Argot) de cerveza para hombre tosca para beber, hombre estúpido y vulgar

Actually, more like a dork... or a knob.

i lived in spain for 12 years and never heard of the word gabacho used.there are many diferences between castellano and mexican spanish as well.

The word "gringo" was used in the Filapinas, a country that although was part of colonial Spain for 350 years, never absorbed the Spanish language outside of government funcionaries. It didn't become part of Filapino vernacular because it was a "Mexican" word. Usually reserved for Filapinos with Spanish blood.

hickton wrote:i lived in spain for 12 years and never heard of the word gabacho used.there are many diferences between castellano and mexican spanish as well.

Are you one of those "vosotros" guys?