Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#18736 02/12/01 08:48 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
I hope that this is not a long ago exhausted topic. I have seen several derivations for the term "Yankee". The one that seemed to me the most probable stated that the Indians in Massachusetts had trouble pronouncing "English" and their approximation was "Yengees".Allegedly some of the colonists copied this in joking reference to their own group. Anyone care discuss this? wwh


#18737 02/12/01 09:01 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803

#18738 02/13/01 12:40 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
G
old hand
Offline
old hand
G
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
I've seen it suggested that it derives from the name, Yonkers, which fits in with the idea of its being of Dutch origin, as per Bartleby.


#18739 02/13/01 07:44 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
I got my information from the New England Historical Genealogical Register many years ago, which placed origin almost a hundred years earlier than any Dutch connection. Also for a long time it referred only to New Englanders.


#18740 02/13/01 08:46 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
not to long ago, WOW gave a run down of Yankee-- by geography--, ie, to a European, any American is a yankee, to a person in US, a yankee is a northerner, to a Northerner, a yankee is ...
with some fine distinctions about eating pie for breakfast (or was it donuts with maple syrup?) in any case, it became way too focused on food--

she left of sub-divisions, such as a Connecticut Yankee, and yankee tinker, and the Bronx bombers, who are also known as Yankee's. and we never got around to discussing Yankee-know-how--which i suspect Jackie and everyone else south of the mason Dixon line is pleased to posses, even as they disavow being yankees.

by the way, the mason-dixon line, is the southern border of the state of Pennsylvania settle a border dispute between it and Maryland. It was by a new survey, (done by a Mr. Mason and Mr. Dixon) and the border became the defacto division between north and south. It often associate with "slave holding states vs, non slave holdingstates" which conveniently forgets that NY was a slave state till 1840 or so.


#18741 02/14/01 12:32 PM
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
M
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
to a European, any American is a yankee

To this European at least, Yank = US'n, Yankee = Northerner.
Don't know where I first picked this up - might have even been Gone With The Wind! BTW, I can recommend the novel about Mason & Dixon - complex, very interesting.


#18742 02/14/01 02:02 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline OP
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
The angriest Virginian I ever saw had just been called a Yankee by an Alabaman.


#18743 02/14/01 02:12 PM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
They were, in the mid '60s, a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia, a farm club of the New York Yankees.


#18744 02/14/01 02:44 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
W
wow Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,439
to a European, any American is a yankee
-----------------------------------------
I don't imagine the Canadians are too well pleased by this!

wow


#18745 02/14/01 05:04 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
I can recommend the novel about Mason & Dixon - complex, very interesting.

Ah, the well-known C19 surveying firm? Thanks Mav, but with so many interesting books out there I think I'll have to draw the line at this one.

BTW, agree that Yankee = northerner, Yank = anyone south of Canada and north of Mexico.



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 442 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5