The Term "Yank"

[iRiSh]

It is often used to describe a person from the United States of America in countries around the world.

Where does it originate from? Yankee?

Do you find it a Derogatory term?


Irish people are refered to as "paddies" by some people in nations such as britain. To me it entirely depends on who is saying it (friend or stranger) and what context its said in wether its offensive or not

[sevans105]

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

Yank is shortened form of Yankee....never considered it derogatory.

As with anything, it obviously could be made derogatory. I suppose it would depend mainly on speaker and context.

[Bill86]

More specifically a person from the north, at least when you're in the south. Born in Michigan and moved to TN I get called a yankee from time to time. Doesn't bother me. I don't think it's derogatory. Surely no one is offended by it. There are worse things to call a person.

[kelmac07]

Bothers me...I'm a Mets fan.

[sevans105]

Originally Posted by kelmac07

Bothers me...I'm a Mets fan.

Yeah, youre just jealous..

[neoflex]

Originally Posted by Bill86

More specifically a person from the north, at least when you're in the south. Born in Michigan and moved to TN I get called a yankee from time to time. Doesn't bother me. I don't think it's derogatory. Surely no one is offended by it. There are worse things to call a person.

Yep, moving to Charlotte from Long Island I hear Yankee from time to time or Damn Yankee because I have no intentions of leaving. Doesn't bother me but when someone I am familiar with says it to me I will sometimes break balls and respond with Stupid Hillbilly or F'in Redneck which does usually offend. Needless to say the Yankee comments usually stop after throwing those terms at them a couple of times.

[maninblack]

My friends call me a Yankee cracker. And proud of it!

[shilala]

It certainly wasn't a term of endearment during the Civil War. After the war, Yankee soldiers earned the respect of southern soldiers for the most part, and the word changed it's meaning dramatically. Before the fighting began, they literally thought that one southern boy could take 20 yanks because they were all girls.
Southerners strongly disliked (or downright hated) northerners at that time because of their lifestyles, industry, and supposed crudeness and lack of culture, and the term they used to express that was "Yankees" or "Yanks".
Granted, that's been watered way down over time, and who really cares about getting called a name? I sure don't. I like John's (neoflex) response. That's a good way to put it away if it needs putting away. A person can certainly tell if it's an insult.
But between friends, it's a harmless tease. I don't see anything wrong with it at all.

[LostAbbott]

I have no Idea what you guys are talking about... being from the Northwest we pertty much stay out of all that goofieness.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Bill86]

Originally Posted by neoflex

Yep, moving to Charlotte from Long Island I hear Yankee from time to time or Damn Yankee because I have no intentions of leaving. Doesn't bother me but when someone I am familiar with says it to me I will sometimes break balls and respond with Stupid Hillbilly or F'in Redneck which does usually offend. Needless to say the Yankee comments usually stop after throwing those terms at them a couple of times.

Exactly. I moved here at first and had some old guy give me crap and tell me you either are visiting and you're a yankee or moved here, bought a house and you are a damn yankee. I told him we're f*cking renting so what does that make us? He just laughed, never had thought of that response. But yeah they'll get offended before you do every time.

[icehog3]

But iRiSh is talking about the term "Yank" as used to describe all Americans, as used outside the U.S., not the distinction made between people on the North side of the Mason-Dixon line within the U.S..

[backwoods357]

When someone across the pond uses it's not negative, same as when we use the term brit. People from the south on the other hand, mostly it's just used for some friendly ribbing, but does have a negative connotation.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by maninblack

My friends call me a Yankee cracker. And proud of it!

I was recently called a slack ass cracker and am not sure if I should be proud....

[markem]

Originally Posted by icehog3

But iRiSh is talking about the term "Yank" as used to describe all Americans, as used outside the U.S., not the distinction made between people on the North side of the Mason-Dixon line within the U.S..

I call many of my friends from Great Britain "Brits" and they tend to refer to Americans as Yanks. Back in the day when I lived in Seattle and did a lot of rock climbing at Squamish in BC, almost everyone there who wasn't an American would call you "Yank", if they recognized you were an American. I've heard it used in insults (all you yanks are wankers) but never heard the term itself used in a way that was derogatory.

To put it another way, yank isn't bad in the same way that mudblood is in Potterville.

[cjhalbrooks]

Well im not from the south it doesn't bother me at all.

[The Poet]

Originally Posted by neoflex

Yep, moving to Charlotte from Long Island I hear Yankee from time to time or Damn Yankee because I have no intentions of leaving.

There it is. To a Southerer, a Yankee is a Northerner who comes south to visit. A damn Yankee is one who comes south to live.

Hey, we're still p!$$ed off about those carpetbaggers during the so-called "Reconstruction".

But that's speaking domestically of course. As for international usage, I don't believe any reasonable American would be offended being called a Yank. Yet admittedly, there are hoards of unreasonable Americans, so this is just an opinion.

[CasaDooley]

Spent a lot of time overseas and have been called a Yank many times, never bothered me. I always felt it was kind of endearing.

[Mattso3000]

I might be offended if someone called me a Yankee, but that's just cause my Twinkies can't beat em to save their lives.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by icehog3

But iRiSh is talking about the term "Yank" as used to describe all Americans, as used outside the U.S., not the distinction made between people on the North side of the Mason-Dixon line within the U.S..

Repeat for sh!ts and grins.

[Zeuceone]

its probably used as a derogatory work outside the US.