Hispanic Or Latino? What Is The Politically Correct Name For People Of South American Descent?

It depends on if their blood lines go back to Spanish origin. Brazil is not Hispanic nor are the indigenous peoples of the rest of the continent.

Actually, it's both. The terms refer to anyone who is of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture, descent.

Both in my opinion, but it depends on each person and what they prefer... And they may prefer to be called neither. Just in a non judgmental way ask them what they prefer.

Being "Hispanic" or "Latino" means that you can be from ANYwhere in the world, but that you have Spanish roots, genealogically speaking. People from Spain are Hispanic. South America has a large number of people who are descended from non-Spanish origins and therefore would not be considered to be either one.

And in specifics to the term "Latino", it is because it is the Spanish word for a Latin descendant that makes it Hispanic. There are many countries that are considered to be descended from the Roman/Latin country and culture, and are, therefore, called Latin countries, and their people are considered to be of a Latin culture. You have Italy, Portugal, France, Romania, etc., all the European countries that were ruled by the Romans for a long enough period of time that they are considered to be Latin in nature.

The issue of those that came from these countries to the various American continents, does not make them Latino or Hispanic. America (North, South, Central) has nothing to do with it.

Therefore to answer YOUR question, ... The politically correct answer, is not necessarily either one, as "Lou123654" answered. But if the person is of Spanish heritage, then they can be called Hispanic, wherever they are living. It seems to me that the term "Latino" is used more within the Hispanic groups of people themselves. But I don't think that it is an offensive term to them if you were to use it in describing someone like Jennifer Lopez (though she would be Latina, not 'no').

Well hispanic is a word used to describe people who come from spanish speaking countries but in south america like brazil for example there native language is portugal not spanish so they are not hispanic.and latino actually means people who r from portugal,spain,france,and italy.for the latin languages most people in central and south america or the carribeans like cubans and puertoricans like to consider themselves latino.