We say "Yankees" - we mean "Americans." Everything seems to be simple, but not for the inhabitants of America themselves. Here, only the population of its northern part is ranked as such. Falling under the influence of various historical events, the meaning of the word changed. We will try to find out why the Yankees are called Americans.
We will announce the first version - Dutch
And we will begin the story from the XVII century. At that time, the North American continent was the location of colonial settlements called New Holland. Immigrants from this country were mocked by Jankees. The reason was their love of double names and the common names Jan and Kees. The story clarifies a little where the word Yankees came from.
The second option is connected with the most sincere affection of the people for cheese. From the combination of the word "kaas" and the characteristic name Yan, a similar ironic appeal could well emerge. Recall the "pasta" (we are talking about the Italians).
We have one more option in stock to explain who the Yankees are. Moreover, it is the simplest. And the beginning was laid by the use of the diminutive name Janke, often used by the Dutch colonists.
Yankees: A History of the Term According to the Indians
In the language of the native North American people - Indians - there is the word eankke, translated as "coward". That was the attitude towards the white conquerors. But it becomes more clear to us why the Yankees are called Americans. According to the Rev. Father John Hawkwilder (1819), this word appeared at a time when the Indians began to study English. This theory was supported by James Fenimore Cooper.
Further procession of the word "Yankees"
The widespread use of the word "Yankees" was entrenched at the end of the 18th century. In the period when the Civil War was raging, the Confederates turned to the northerners. The fact that the word was initially accompanied by a dismissive, disrespectful connotation is obvious. The then-popular song “Yankee Doodle” partially contributed to the fact that the word could spread. Today, the song is a Connecticut anthem .
For a long period, subsequent generations of the United States, having heard the "Yankees," recalled the tragic military paintings that are described in family memoirs.
Thomas Chandler was the first person to use the word outside of American limits. He wrote a small work of art about an American who taught Canadians hard work. An interesting fact is that Koreans often speak like that about any white person. Whether he is American, German or French.
The area of use of this nickname grew due to some literary works, which contained a description of the historical events of the time mentioned. What can I say about Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Gone with the Wind, which shed light on who the Yankees are.
Facts in addition
So, continuing to say why the Yankees are called Americans, we are close to the turn of two centuries: the 19th and 20th. Starting from this period, thus began to designate American soldiers and, incidentally, all the inhabitants of the country of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain (English-speaking countries).
At the beginning of the 20th century, the word "Yankees" acquired a pronounced anti-American color. Its use was justified in the event of the manifestation of the unceremonious US foreign policy.
There is currently a rivalry between the nicknames yankee and Ami. The latter expression is more neutral in nature and originally served to designate American soldiers in a conversation in Germany. Later, in everyday communication, they began to talk about any American citizen. In this case, you can often encounter a negative coloring Ami, which is a reflection of the speaker's position on political actions of the United States.
By the way, the Americans themselves today, having heard the appeal of the "Yankees", react less emotionally. The exception is fans of the New York Yankees. For them, belonging to the Yankees means great pride.
We tried to answer the question of why the Yankees are called Americans. Despite the presence of several versions of the origin of the nickname, it is in any case closely connected with the history of this country.