Where did the term "Yankee" come from?
Jul 29, 2021 1:19:59 GMT -5
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Post by 1dave on Jul 29, 2021 1:19:59 GMT -5
theyankeewaybook.com/2018/10/25/where-did-the-term-yankee-come-from/
The term “Yankee” has various meanings in our society. To some, it means a member of one of the sports world’s elite teams. For others, it refers to a native New Yorker, or someone from the East Coast generally. Many Southerners apply the label “Yankee” to anyone who lives above the Mason-Dixson line. Just where did this strange term originate? What was its original meaning?
Originally, the term “Yankee” was used to identify someone from the New England region. Specifically, the word applied to those direct descendants of the Puritans who settled New England in the 17th century. By the time of the American Revolution, these descendants had already developed a reputation across the country for their unique culture and, to outsiders, strange ways. “Yankee” as a term for these people of the North was in common use by the early 19th century.
But where did the term come from? The truth is, no one knows. There are, however, several very intriguing theories which have been put forward by historians, cultural scholars, and lay observers. One British officer suggested, just after the American Revolution, that the term came from the Cherokee word “eankke,” which meant “coward.” Another theory proposes that the word is Dutch in origin, deriving from the diminutive “Janke.” Proponents of this and other Dutch-origin theories have offered various speculative explanations as to how a Dutch moniker from New York came to be applied to English descendants in New England. Yet another theory holds that “Yankee” is derived from Native American attempts to pronounce the French word for the English, “l’anglais.” Supposedly unable to pronounce the letter “l,” the Native Americans produced a pronunciation of something approaching “Yankee.”
Unfortunately, the origins of this very strange word may never be known. However, the term lives on as the best way to describe the strange culture of a very unique people – those enterprising, industrious, studious sons and daughter of the Puritans – who made such an impact on the nation and its history.
The term “Yankee” has various meanings in our society. To some, it means a member of one of the sports world’s elite teams. For others, it refers to a native New Yorker, or someone from the East Coast generally. Many Southerners apply the label “Yankee” to anyone who lives above the Mason-Dixson line. Just where did this strange term originate? What was its original meaning?
Originally, the term “Yankee” was used to identify someone from the New England region. Specifically, the word applied to those direct descendants of the Puritans who settled New England in the 17th century. By the time of the American Revolution, these descendants had already developed a reputation across the country for their unique culture and, to outsiders, strange ways. “Yankee” as a term for these people of the North was in common use by the early 19th century.
But where did the term come from? The truth is, no one knows. There are, however, several very intriguing theories which have been put forward by historians, cultural scholars, and lay observers. One British officer suggested, just after the American Revolution, that the term came from the Cherokee word “eankke,” which meant “coward.” Another theory proposes that the word is Dutch in origin, deriving from the diminutive “Janke.” Proponents of this and other Dutch-origin theories have offered various speculative explanations as to how a Dutch moniker from New York came to be applied to English descendants in New England. Yet another theory holds that “Yankee” is derived from Native American attempts to pronounce the French word for the English, “l’anglais.” Supposedly unable to pronounce the letter “l,” the Native Americans produced a pronunciation of something approaching “Yankee.”
Unfortunately, the origins of this very strange word may never be known. However, the term lives on as the best way to describe the strange culture of a very unique people – those enterprising, industrious, studious sons and daughter of the Puritans – who made such an impact on the nation and its history.