Why is it impolite to call some one "chaparra"?
I was told it was impolite to call a lady "chaparra" (short) that I should say "chaparita???
2 Answers
A simple Google search indicates that the word means:
- kermes oak (Quercus coccifera)
- chaparral (scrubland)
- (Latin America) a female of short stature.
I am not short, but I am related to people who are. None of them considers having their small stature pointed out as a good thing.
Speaking of which, I described a woman we had just met as "a little Latin lady" to a good friend of mine who is a fully bi-lingual and bi-cultural Puerto Rican. She was a good enough friend to tell me that although she knew it was not my intent, that my description could be considered disrespectful, because it pointed out her diminutive size.
We need to be aware of people's sensitivities.
As a child, my favorite uncle (at 5'5") was almost a foot shorter than my father (at 6'4"), whom I also adored. Instead of saying the obvious, "Uncle John is shorter than Daddy," I was taught: the stature of a man is not measured in inches.
The same goes for women.
Why not ask the person who told you that why?
