Why the Heck Do Latino Reporters on Public Radio Say Their Names That Way?

*Loved this piece! Just yesterday I was asked my name and I said it in Spanish.  The non-Spanish speaker didn’t understand, so I repeated in English. He said, “oh you should have said that.” My parents gave me a name that’s spelled the same in English and Spanish, and the pronunciation isn’t that different, or difficult. But I still say it in Spanish, because I can. Gustavo Arellano says he does it to make people smarter. I like that. Victor.

By Queena Kim, The California Report

Here’s a question: Why do Latinos, but especially public radio reporters, love to over-pronounce their Spanish, even when they’re speaking in English?

If you’re a public radio geek, you know what I’m talking about, right? There’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez of KPCC and a regular contributor toKQED’s California Report, Maria Hinojosa of “Latino USA” and NPR’sMandalit del Barco.

Gustavo Arellano pens the syndicated column ¡Ask A Mexican! and he says he gets this question all the time.

“In other words, if I’m talking to you right now in the King’s English and I say my name is Gustavo Arellano instead of Goo-STAH-voh ar-ree-YAH-no, why do I do that?” Arellano asks. “Why does Adolfo Guzman-Lopez say his name Adolfo Guzman-Lopez instead of uh-DALL-foh GOOZ-monn low-PEZZ? Why do we have to be so Mexican? Americans just go nuts about that.

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