The other day I watched Fellini's 8 1/2 and elsewhere on the 2 DVD set was some footage of Marcello Mastroianni being asked various questions - I believe it was scripted and not a real interview but anyway a woman asked him about being a "Latin" lover.

And I thought, "Huh?" I always thought "Latin" in that context meant Hispanic/Spanish-speaking. Am I mistaken? Does it also include Italian? And what else, Portuguese? Does it refer to a man from any country that speaks a romance language? Or is this an "old" (1960s?) definition of "Latin lover"? (Not that people really use that phrase anymore, do they? It makes me think of Ricky Ricardo and Fernando Lamas and the 50s/60s)

Does "latino/a" also include Italians? Now, or did it in the past?

Signed, Have I Been Latina All This Time and Didn't Know It?

P.S. I looked around a bit on the web and found info about a TV show called "Latin Lover" and a definition of the phrase that included "southern European" men...but that's news to me. What do you think?

I don't believe latin means Italian.

I think in the 60's sense it did indeed mean southern Euros( including Italy , Portuguese and Spanish) , as opposed to today's latinos , different kettle of fish entirely.

I think that all of the cultures with so-called "romance languages" are considered Latin in that context, including Italy, France and some others. For instance, French Quebeccers consider themselves as being "Latins" because of the French language and culture. I always found this amusing. They consider themselves a Latin culture but from the point of view of a person who came here from another country, they appear to me to be more similar to their English and Native counterparts in a more severe Northern culture and not that Latin as they would like to think.

I should have included the french in this , yes it is down to the "romance languages" and the latin origins of .

I consider myself Latin but am not Latina.

Here's one reference. It relates Latin cultures back to those whose languages have roots in the Latin language:

http://www.forlang.wsu.edu/latin.asp

Here's a chart that shows the evolution from Latin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Romance...es_improved.PNG

Latin Lover : One who likes to speak Latin ( Wink )

Of cause it includes Italian men, Rudolfo Valentino was the first, the original Latin lover, he was Italian.

Latin lover is romantic , elegant, always well groomed and always uses scent , he is also tall, dark and handsome - ! think this describe many Italian, and French men! But more all those traits I believe it is a state of mind LOL!

Yes, we consider anybody from Southern Europe (France, Italy, Spain) to be "latin". Thus our French born Prince Consort is always referred to as "latin", and his troubles adjusting to the culture of this country (especially when it comes to the pattern of sex roles) is explained with his "latin pride" or "latin temper".

A few years ago I knew an Italian dentist who was working in this country, and she always compared Danish men to the "latin" men of her home country.

Very interesting replies and surprising too! I've only heard it in reference to people from Spanish-speaking places but apparently to different folks in different countries the definition is not the same.

FiveO, never in a million years would I have thought of any native French Canadians as Latin! Ya learn something every day.

Nowadays, Latino refers to people of Central and South American extraction. That is how they refer to themselves.

Yeah, in US.

In Europe a "latin" person is still someone from Southern Europe.

I agree with Five O. I see it as 2 folds.

I am hispanic and consider myself latina. I recalled the "introduction" of latin by mom and my spanish teacher back in high school. They said that latin is not hispanic, that it is also Italian, French and Spanish because of the romance language. The beginning of lanugage was latin and it changed to what it is now.

This is my understanding as well, Fiveoaks.

-Noelle