What are "Yankees"? This word is usually associated with the inhabitants of the United States. In part, the association is correct, the lexeme has one more interpretation. By the way, both are negative. Details of who or what the "Yankees" are will be discussed below.
General information
The lexeme being studied is, firstly, an offensive or derogatory nickname for New Englanders - this is the historical meaning of the word "Yankee".
Secondly, according to an interpretation that appeared a little later, the word has a broader meaning - this is how all residents of the United States as a whole are called.
This term has been known since the 18th century. One of its earliest meanings is a nickname for Americans who were natives and residents of New England. The latter is the northeastern states of the United States. From 1775 to 1783,when the struggle for independence was going on in North America, "Yankee" was the nickname by which the British soldiers called the rebel colonists.
From the time of the Civil War 1861-1865. the inhabitants of the southern states so called the northerners.
Currently, outside the United States, the term is used in relation to all natives of this country. Despite the fact that the word under study can be used in several meanings, it is always associated with the Americans.
Begin distribution
So, who or what are the "Yankees"? It should be noted that there is no consensus among etymologists about the origin of this word. It is known that James Woolf, a British general, used it in 1758 to his subordinates, natives of New England.
This moment is conditionally considered as the beginning of the use of the nickname "Yankee", which gradually spread in this meaning. At the same time, it is obvious that initially the word had a disrespectful, dismissive connotation. It was predominantly used by the British, not by the natives of the colonies.
Indian origin
The Oxford English Dictionary indicates the origin of the word from eankke. It was used in the vocabulary of the Cherokee Indians in the address of the same natives of New England, implying their cowardice.
There is another assumption, according to which the studied lexeme originates from the word yinglees. This is a nickname that was given by the Indians to the pale faces after the wars of King Philip. It is believed that it comes, most likely, from anglais orenglish, which meant the self-name of the colonists. Most linguists oppose the version of the Indian origin of the word.
To understand what a "Yankee" is, other versions should be considered.
European etymology
There is another version in the specified dictionary: the word comes from a combination of two names Jan and Kees - these are names that were common among the Dutch colonists who lived in the 17th century in the territory between modern New York and Albany. At first, the nickname was applied to the Dutch, and then to the British. It still had a disrespectful connotation.
There is another version related to the Dutch, which considers the Dutch surname Janke as a source. In English transcription, she looks like Yanke. As a nickname, it was applied to local residents who spoke English with a typical Dutch accent, and later to all North American speakers.
There is a third version, which says that this nickname is a diminutive derivative of the German name Jan.
Phrases for the word "yankee"
Among them are, for example, the following.
First, it's "Yankee, go hom!", which encourages Americans to return to their homes. The appeal was addressed to US troops based in Cuba at Guantanamo Bay.
Second is "Yankee Doodle", currently the patriotic national song in the United States. At first she washumorous, but then became one of the first hymns, which was briefly used in the Revolutionary War. Today is the anthem of the state of Connecticut.
