[Lady Alexandra of Herts]

I know that Americans dont think of themselves as 'Yanks' unless theyre from New york (im guessing because of a sports team), but Brits seem to call all Americans Yanks. I did it all the time when I was in Chicago and people seemed to get quite defensive about it. Having the same conversation with my cousin atm, cos shes dating a guy from California and whenever I call him a Yank, she almost gets offended by it - but I dont mean it to be offensive. I call fenella half-yank all the time - and her father is from Chicago. Xx

[Captain K]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee

[Rachel Rose]

Word History: The origin of Yankee has been the subject of much debate, but the most likely source is the Dutch name Janke, meaning "little Jan" or "little John," a nickname that dates back to the 1680s. Perhaps because it was used as the name of pirates, the name Yankee came to be used as a term of contempt. It was used this way in the 1750s by General James Wolfe, the British general who secured British domination of North America by defeating the French at Quebec. The name may have been applied to New Englanders as an extension of an original use referring to Dutch settlers living along the Hudson River. Whatever the reason, Yankee is first recorded in 1765 as a name for an inhabitant of New England. The first recorded use of the term by the British to refer to Americans in general appears in the 1780s, in a letter by Lord Horatio Nelson, no less. Around the same time it began to be abbreviated to Yank. During the American Revolution, American soldiers adopted this term of derision as a term of national pride.


I don't find the term offensive in the least, but then I am northern. Some people are still outraged by it. Some people are still ignorant when it comes to race, politics, sexual persuasion, religion and chocolate preference, too. I can cope with all of these but the chocolate. Milk is best.

[spannz15]

I've just had two friends from america over and every time I called them yanks they nearly hit me. But they were calling all brits sheep shaggers. I had to point out thats only Wales and Derbyshire.

[Joinee Hathorn]

I heard the story slightly differently, it's in the book called something like I never knew that about england.

There is a famous 'literary Brit' called John Bull, in New England (I think) there was an amusing joke where the Dutch settlers referred to the English settlers as John Cheese, or Jan Kase (as it is in Dutch), this became YanKees and has turned into today's Yanks.

[joinee_doug]

Why do Brits call Americans Yanks?
Well, it's probably nicer than what you'd really like to call us.
(Well, some of us. Some of the time.)
I don't really take offense to it; I see it as just a kind of shorthand, and since I'm not a (US) Southerner, it isn't meant as an insult. If I was to take offense, it would probably be from being lumped in with a generic identity, rather than specifically Oregonian or Northwestern or Western, which would be nigh impossible to know unless you already knew me. It might be the same as a Scot or a Welshman or Englishman (or in the US, often even an Irishman) being tagged a "Brit" when they identify themselves as something more specific. Or just being referred to by a slang term (derogatory or not) rather than a more 'proper' term.

[Joinee Michelle]

spannz15, on 20 September 2011 - 04:13 PM, said:

I've just had two friends from america over and every time I called them yanks they nearly hit me. But they were calling all brits sheep shaggers. I had to point out thats only Wales and Derbyshire.

Weird how regional these things are. In Derbyshire it's Wales and Somerset that are the sheep shaggers. Never heard of it being us!

Seems to be always Wales though - someone Welsh come on and tell us who they call the sheep shaggers! I am interested!

[Gold Joinee Cooke]

Yorkshire and wales are the sheepshaggers!!! Never heard anyone call the fine folk of derbyshire or somerset sheepshaggers.

[spannz15]

WHAT?! When I think of sheepshagger my first thought is derby. Maybe thats a east midlands things. My mates from derby call themselves sheepshag army!

[Joinee Bird]

Of course Derby! Sheep-shagging b*****ds!

That's what we Forest fans call anyone from Derby or support Derby County.

Not you though Michelle, more Derby than Derbyshire. It's cos the football team are 'the rams' - so quite literally do the business with sheep.

[Joinee Evilrhian]

In the words of the beautiful Kelly Jones 'We shag 'em, you eat 'em'

We basically accept that we are the sheep shaggers but mainly the lonely weirdos who live up the valley or Mid-Wales. The rest of you come under the umbrella of 'twll dyn bob saes'

[HJCotW Spacemonkey]

I would suggest that some people get offended because some people will get offended at anything. Indeed, it seems that some people try to be offended.

It's a particular bugbear of mine.

MoT
HJCotW

[Hernaic Tom]

HJCotW Spacemonkey, on 30 October 2011 - 10:02 PM, said:

It's a particular bugbear of mine.

MoT
HJCotW

Please could you phrase that differently, Sean. My Grandfather was a bear, and my Aunt is a bug. It makes me feel very uncomfortable when you go bandying words like that around...

[Joinee Michelle]

Seems everywhere has their whipping boys so to speak! It's fascinating how it's different for different regions - much better than 95% uniting against one lot!