What is a Yankee? This word is usually associated with residents of the United States. Partly the association is true, the lexeme has another interpretation. By the way, both are negative. Details of who or what the Yankees are will be described below.
General information
The lexeme being studied is, firstly, the insulting or derogatory nickname of New England residents - this is the historical meaning of the word "Yankees."
Secondly, according to the interpretation that appeared a little later, the word has a broader meaning - this is the name of all residents of the United States as a whole.
This term has been known since the 18th century. One of his earliest meanings is the nickname of the 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 taking place in North America, the "Yankees" was the nickname that the English soldiers called the rebel colonists.
Since the Civil War of 1861-1865. the inhabitants of the southern states were called northerners.
Outside the United States, the term is currently used to refer to all natives of that country. Despite the fact that the word under study can be used in several meanings, it is always associated with the Americans.
Distribution start
So who or what is the Yankees? It should be noted that the etymologists do not have a single opinion on the origin of this word. It is known that James Wolfe, a British general, in 1758 used it to his subordinates, natives of New England.
This moment is conditionally considered as the beginning of the use of the nickname "Yankees", which gradually spread in that sense. Moreover, it is obvious that initially the word had a disrespectful, dismissive connotation. It was used mainly by the British, and not the indigenous inhabitants of the colonies.
Native American origin
The Oxford English Dictionary indicates the origin of the word from eankke. It was used in the vocabulary of the Cherokee Indians to the same natives of New England, implying their cowardice.
There is another assumption, according to which the lexeme under study originates from the word yinglees. This is the nickname that was given by the pale-faced Indians after the wars of King Philip. It is believed that it comes most likely from anglais or english, which meant the self-name of the colonists. Most linguists oppose the version of the Native American origin of the word.
To understand what the Yankees are, other versions should be considered.
European etymology
There is another version in the indicated dictionary: the word comes from a combination of two names Jan and Kees - these are names that were common among Dutch colonists who lived in the 17th century on 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 hue.
There is another version related to the Dutch that 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 in English with a Dutch accent, and later to all speakers of the North American dialect.
There is a third version reporting that this nickname is a diminutive derivative of the German name Jan.
Phrases for the word "Yankees"
Among them are, for example, the following.
The first is the Yankees, go-home !, which encourages Americans to return to their homes. The call was addressed to US troops based in Cuba at Guantanamo Base.
Secondly, this is Yankee Doodle, currently a patriotic national song in the United States. At first it was humorous, but then became one of the first hymns that was not used for long in the war for independence. Today is a Connecticut state anthem.