Naco (slang)
- For other uses, see naco.
Naco (fmn. naca) is a pejorative word often used in Mexican Spanish to describe bad-mannered and poorly educated people. Recently, however, the word has been reclaimed by Mexican hipsters, particularly in Mexico City.[citation needed] A naco usually associated with lower socio-economic classes, but could also sometimes include the nouveau-riche. It's also used in some parts of Guatemala.
Definition and meaning
As an adjective, the term could refer to crassness, a lack of social manners, unusual taste in music, unrefined verbal expression and manner of dressing. As a noun it is a derisive term to describe persons who exhibit these characteristics, especially when used toward the indigenous or poor. Middle-class and upper-class Mexicans traditionally have used the term in a discriminatory and/or racist manner to refer mainly to lower class people who, in their point of view, are commonly attracted to motley fashions, use a lot of slang and speak with peculiar accents; or it could also be used it as an insult meaning "idiot", "stupid," or "ignorant". The word is generally not seen as a curse word.
Sociolinguistic use
The word naco as an interpellation for a specific group of people exists because of differences in cultural education; those of higher socioeconomic status will interpret differences in cultural education as a lack of such education and refinement on the part of those of lower social status. From the perspective of those of higher social status, their own language, fashion sense and musical preferences are the only proper ones and those of lower social status suffer from insufficient schooling in grammar, have a lack of basic education, speak with an unfamiliar accent or dialect and have unrefined musical taste. The putative naco will generally have a different perspective on such matters. For nacos, their linguistic, fashion and musical preferences will seem more honest, exciting or earthy and those of higher social status will seem affected, stifled or arrogant.
In recent times, there has been an explosion of nouveau riche, mainly due to the drug trade, traffic of influences, and government corruption. [citation needed] These people and their offspring are seen to sometimes have unrefined, yet exotic tastes, are willing to spend a lot of money in public and are considered to lack social refinement. They can therefore, be referred to as nacos. A naco can also be someone with a new BMW yet who listens to norteñas (Mexican country music).
Due to differences in the Spanish spoken in the Mexican academic and business settings versus the dialects spoken in the Mexican countryside and poorer areas, the dialects associated with rural and poor areas are stigmatized. However, as is the case with many lower status groups, these dialects are often the sites of the greatest linguistic innovation [citation needed].
Etymology
It's not exactly clear how the term "naco" came to be. It has been suggested that the term is actually an aphaeresis of Totonaca, an indigenous people of the Gulf coast. Others have suggested that the word naco comes from the Irish English word knacker ; which means exactly the same thing and is used in the same way. The word could have originated from Irish English, as Mexico has had many Irish immigrants (Edmundo O'Gorman being one famous example).
Even though the word is used commonly, there are no "nacos" per se because the word is most often an exonym. That is, it is applied to other groups but not generally applied to one's own group. Even when the word has a derogatory sense to it, the type of people some may call "nacos" do not consider themeselves as "nacos" (even when they might call among themeselves naco), but they refer to some other group of people as nacos. At times, however, "naco" could also be an endonym, that is a word applied to a group by its own members. Often this is done as a sign of in-group solidarity. A close (though not exact) example of "naco" in English would be the word redneck. It is considered demeaning to be called a redneck by somebody one does not know, but it is sometimes accepted among a predominantly rural American or Southern group to be called "redneck" by a peer. It's somewhat similar for naco.
Common slang attributed to nacos include chale (used to express dismay), ama and/or apa (ma and pa), onde esta (instead of donde esta 'where is it'), cámara 'OK', verga 'penis' (also to express worry), and chingón and its politer equivalent chido 'good'.
Uses in popular culture
- The company NaCo, (a play of words combining "naco" with the abbreviation of company, "co.") has printed these and other slang terms on t-shirts. These shirts also include words and phrases such as Estar Guars, which is how a naco would pronounce Star Wars or Pecsi which is the way a naco would pronounce Pepsi.
- There is also a Mexican comedy film titled El naco, mas naco starring Capulina.
- In the movie Y tu mamá también, one of the main characters (an upper-class teenager) called his best friend (a lower-middle class teenager) a naco even though the same could be said of the upper-class character.
- The Mexican cult rock band Botellita de Jeréz referred to themselves as nacos and were proud of it, one of their most famous songs says Si lo mexicano es naco, y lo mexicano es chido, tonces verdad de Dios, todo lo naco es chido that would be translated as "If Mexican stuff is naco, and Mexican stuff is good, then God's truth everything naco is cool".
- A skit in the mexican comedy TV show "La Hora Pico" is titled "Las Nacas", with characters' featuring names such as: Nacasia, Nacaranda, Vitor (the naco name of saying Victor), and more.