Yankee
This article is about the word Yankee as a term for US-Americans. For other meanings, see Yankee (disambiguation).
The term Yankee (probably derived from the English adjective yankee, "excellent", which can be traced back to 1713 in Cambridge/Mass.) was originally (from 1765) used as a nickname for the inhabitants of New England in the north of the United States, for example by Mark Twain in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889). During the War of Secession, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, the term was used derogatorily by southern residents of the United States to refer to troops of the hostile northern states. The latter responded by making the Yankee Doodle their battle song and unofficial national anthem.
Today it is predominantly used in this meaning in the United States, while outside the United States the term "Yankee" is generally applied to US Americans, usually with a derogatory undertone. Especially in Romance countries, the anti-American slogan "Yankee Go Home" spread, directed against the presence of US troops or the American way of life.
The name may derive from the nickname of Dutch immigrants who were contemptuously called "Jan Kees" - Jan and Kees are common given names in the Netherlands. However, it has also been suggested that it is an Americanization of the word "Englishman" from the Wyandot (Huron) language, whose pronunciation of the adopted French word "L'anglais" sounds similar: "Y'n-gee". There are a few other theories, such as that the name derives via the English verbalization "Yanke" from the common Dutch nickname and surname "Janke", which was used during the colonial period to refer to Dutch-speaking colonists and settlers in the northeastern part of what later became the United States (see also Nieuw Nederland).
The designation also gave rise to the team name of the New York Yankees.
At the turn of the 19th/20th century, the Japanese were referred to as "Yankees of the East" due to their enterprise in modernizing their country. In Japan itself, the word (transcribed as ヤンキー, yankī) has referred to a juvenile delinquent since World War II.
See also
- Billy Yank
Questions and Answers
Q: What is the term "Yankee" commonly used for?
A: The term "Yankee" is commonly used to refer to people from the United States.
Q: How is the term "Yank" used outside the United States?
A: Outside the United States, "Yank" is used to refer to any American, including Southerners.
Q: Within the Southern United States, who does the term "Yankee" refer to?
A: Within the Southern United States, the term "Yankee" refers to all Northerners or specifically to those from the region of New England, often in a mean way.
Q: What does the Oxford English Dictionary say about the term "Yankee"?
A: The Oxford English Dictionary says that the term "Yankee" is "a nickname for a person from New England, or, more widely, of the northern States generally."
Q: How was the term "Yankee" used during the American Civil War?
A: During the American Civil War, the term "Yankee" was used by the Confederates to refer to the soldiers of the Federal army.
Q: Who does the term "Yankee" often refer to in the United States?
A: In the United States, the term "Yankee" often refers to people from the Northeastern states, but especially those with New England cultural ties.
Q: Who would be included in the group of people who are often referred to as "Yankees"?
A: People who have colonial New England settler ancestors, wherever they live, would be included in the group of people who are often referred to as "Yankees".
