The arroba symbol has various uses. Earlier, it was used as a unit of measurement (weight & volume). Later, the arroba (@) sign was used to denote quantity of commodities. With the advent of the digital age, the arroba symbol is being used in emails, social media, maps & many other places. But do you know about the use of arroba sign in gender-neutral words in Spanish? In this post, I’ve covered all the important details that you need to know about the use of arroba symbol in gender-neutral words & phrases (in Spanish).
Table of Contents
Arroba & its use in gender-neutral words
First of all, let us talk about the origin of the word arroba. The term arroba was first used by Spanish and Portuguese speakers. It is said that they borrowed this word from Arabic (ar-ruba).
Initially, the word arroba was used as a unit of measurement (weight & volume). It was also used to denote the quantity of commodities (used while trading or invoicing). Traders used the @ (arroba) symbol to denote the quantity of goods or the price at which a particular commodity was sold.
The @ symbol in Latin is shorthand for ‘Ad’. In Latin, ‘Ad’ usually means ‘toward’ or ‘at’. In other words, from Latin shorthand’s point of view, the @ (arroba) symbol is used to signify location or direction.
With time, the @ (arroba) symbol found its own place in the world of technology. We use the @ symbol in social media, maps, emails & many other places.
Gender-neutral words in Spanish & the role of @ symbol
In many online communities, people use the @ symbol as a gender-neutral suffix. For example, the word ‘amigo’ is masculine and is used to address a male. And the word ‘amiga’ is feminine and is used to address a female.
Younger generations are now using the word ‘amig@’ to address a person regardless of their gender. Another example is the word ‘latino’. It is a masculine word and is used to address a male. And the word ‘latina’ is feminine. It is used to address a female. Youngsters use the word ‘latin@’ as the gender-neutral alternative to the above-mentioned words.
This new ‘role’ of the @ symbol is Spanish is limited to unofficial & informal settings. As of now, the gender-neutral usage of @ symbol has not been officially recognized by the relevant authorities. But it is gaining popularity in online communities & other informal communication channels.
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