Why Americans are called "Yankees", and who came up with this nickname

  • Dec 14, 2020
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Why Americans are called "Yankees", and who came up with this nickname
Why Americans are called "Yankees", and who came up with this nickname

The absolute majority of peoples have their own names, self-names, as well as nicknames that their neighbors give them. Everyone has heard at least once how the inhabitants of the United States are called "Yankees" in the works of artistic culture. Let's try to figure out where this word came from, and also why not all Americans, in principle, will respond to this nickname.

In the Civil War, this was a curse. | Photo: blogspot.com.
In the Civil War, this was a curse. | Photo: blogspot.com.

Foreigners use the word "Yankee" to refer to all residents of the United States. However, if you call this word a native of the southern states of the country, then you can run into, at best, surprise and misunderstanding (and at worst, a broken nose and a shot in the leg). This is because during the American Civil War, the word "Yankees" was used to refer to fighters from the Federation (North) army as Confederate (South) fighters. Given that all these guys were killing each other, it's easy to guess that the name was mocking.

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Most likely the word appeared in the 18th century. | Photo: reference.com.

Of course, the name "Yankees" appeared long before the Civil War. There is reason to believe that the term gained widespread popularity in the 1750s. Apparently, with this word the British "called names" all the inhabitants of the American colonies (New England). If so, then "Yankee" could come from a consonant with him "junk" - trash, garbage, garbage. However, this theory is actively contested by most linguists.

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Most likely it came from Holland. | Photo: player.fm.

For example, Dutch researchers are convinced that the word "Yankee" migrated to English from Dutch. And in fact the name comes from "Jan Kaas" (Yan Syr), also a mocking nickname that the inhabitants of the metropolis used to refer to the inhabitants of the colonies.

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In the southern states, a joke may not be appreciated. | Photo: ttmeiju2.com.

Despite the abusive meaning, today the majority of US residents are absolutely calm about the name "Yankees". Americans even use it with some self-irony, actively using this word in the names of sports teams (primarily baseball).

If you want to know even more interesting things, you should read about why do the Japanese put mattresses in the sun and see 7 more features of life in Japan.
Source:
https://novate.ru/blogs/060120/52988/