In the US Civil War, southern states referred to their enemies as Yanks. Now Americans of all stripes outside the USA are called Yanks.
Does this make sense to Southerners who, in the past used Yank as a derogatory term?
Do Southerners correct foreigners and say I’m not a Yank, I’m a southerner?
Do Americans find the term Yank insulting?
28 comments
Archaic. To us, its a baseball team. When people overseas use it, we just smile and nod.
Pretty much nobody cares
(With the exception of baseball)
I find no offense to it, but I’m a northerner. Like is a southerner or foreigner said it to me condescendingly I’d be annoyed but I’d be annoyed at being called anything condescendingly lol.
>In the US Civil War, southern states referred to their enemies as Yanks.
“Yanks” is used almost exclusively outside the US (excepting references to the baseball team). A Southerner using that term – which is fairly archaic and uncommon – would likely say Yankee.
>Do Americans find the term Yank insulting?
I’m going to rely on context and tone to determine whether you’re being insulting. Using that term does strongly suggest to me that you’re either insulting me or trying to be chummy and familiar.
>Do Southerners correct foreigners and say I’m not a Yank, I’m a southerner?
This should be interpreted the same way. If a person ever corrects you on this, they’re either being a precious jerk *or* they’re trying to have fun with you. Context is key.
I really hear the term, and I travel A LOT
Southerners say “Yankees,” not “Yanks.” The use of “Yanks” appears to be a British thing.
As a Southerner, I tend to correct foreigners because I am a precious jerk.
No, it is not insulting, just thrown-off because it is not normally used in normal conversation unless it is about the baseball team.
I really don’t care if people call me a Yankee I actually think it’s kinda silly that people get upset over it now, but I can see why someone from the south would be like nah I’m the other American stereotype lmfao
>Does this make sense to Southerners who
It makes sense to Southerners with an above room temperature IQ.
No one here actively calls themselves a yank or yankee except for Yankees fans. People refer to yankee as a pejorative, mostly southerners making light hearted jokes at northerners. But really no one cares. It’s just exclusively used by people outside of the US
If a foreigner called me a yank I would be like whatever that’s fine, you mean American. If an American called me a yank or yankee I would be very confused because I’m from Texas. But I wouldn’t be offended just like what are you talking about bro lol.
I feel like this gets asked here a fair amount (no offense). In my experience Brits/Aussies/Irish who call us “Yanks” think that they’re insulting us but Americans are completely oblivious to the intended slight.
if an American says “yank,” it’s a verb that means to pull vigorously.
“Yankee” usually refers to a baseball team, or (much less commonly) a derogatory term a southerner calls a northerner. it’s very antiquated and usually a joke.
no one’s ever called me a “yank.” I’m a southerner living in the Midwest, so I’d probably just say that in response I guess? it’s not offensive to me, just strange/inaccurate. like if I called you a pterodactyl.
For context, I’m from the south.
The only source of confusion is that southerners basically only ever say Yankee in the context of an insult (and rarely at that). One example would be if someone “corrected” me when I say y’all, with my reply being something along the lines of “shut the fuck up, yankee.”
So if you say Yank to a southerner who’s got absolutely no cultural awareness they might think it’s an insult but I think most get that it’s just foreign slang for americans.
We get asked this too often. Most of us have never heard of that term outside of a historical context dating back more than a century. We wouldn’t be offended by the word but you’d get some odd glances for sure. Even living in the South, and I’ve lived in the deep South as well, I’ve never heard anyone actually use the word “yankee” before.
You may get some light natured ribbing from a southerner, but outside of the US, they will definitely understand and not care.
You’re…trying to tell us…how we’re using it wrong? 🤣
Outside the US, “yankee” means American.
Inside the US, “yankee” means Northerner, particularly the northeast/sometimes midwest.
To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
To northerners, a Yankee is an Easterner.
To easterners, a Yankee is a New Englander.
To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter.
And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.
I grew up in New England, when I was 18 I moved south of the Mason-Dixon Line. While I don’t hear it every day or even every month I have been called a yankee, which is fine because I am a yankee, check my username. Usually when I am called a yankee by a southerner it’s in a good natured, teasing or bantering manner. I have not encountered hostility because I’m a yankee. One place I lived there was a health inspector that was from the northeast coast everyone in the restaurant industry in that county called him yankee, to differentiate between us my nickname became Yankee Chef.
When I lived in Louisiana in the 90s there was a good sized plot of land for sale in Lafourche Parish, the seller had a stipulation that he would not sell to anyone of “The Yankee Race” and that whoever purchased the land would sign a contract never to sell to a yankee or anyone of Yankee descent. This was very unusual which is why it was reported in the newspaper.
On the east coast many families have been living in the same towns for centuries, so many southerners feel pride in their family history, as do many Yankees, which is why some may correct someone that calls them a yankee, but I doubt they’d take offense to a non American calling them a Yank unless it was clear from tone or context that they were being deliberately derogatory. In my experience with British people they are not being derogatory when calling us yanks at this point in history, so I don’t take any offense. With some of the other English speaking countries that maybe a different story.
Americans don’t find the term Yankee or Yank insulting.
First of all, it’s origin was in an unsuccessful attempt the British made at satirizing Americans. Part of the song (“Yankee Doodle Dandy”) involves an American being successful with the British ladies. There was some truth to this stereotype, with anecdotal contemporaneous writings that it was due to Americans on average bathing more often than British men, and British women liked that.
Americans called themselves Yankees, and totally owned the phrase.
Now … if you called the wrong American a “Yankees fan” those could be fighting words.
If someone called me a Yankee after hearing my southern twang, I’d think they were either teasing me or a foreigner
Outside of talking about the baseball team I never hear the word Yankee unless I’m talking to someone not from America so no I don’t find it insulting. I had a friend go to Finland recently and he found it funny they called him a yankee while he was there.
Southerner. I could not give less of a shit if I tried.
Yankee and yanks is MUCH older than the American Civil War.
As a southerner…
If another American were to call me a Yankee I would let them know they are incorrect.
If someone not from the US called me a Yankee I’d consider it correct. Different connotation.
1) Never heard a Southerner use “Yank”. It’s “Yank***ee***”. Only foreigners say “Yank”.
2) Insulting? Not really. That disappoints people who want it to be, but there it is. (We had a German guy using the entire phrase “Yankee Doodle” like it was using the hard-R, hoping it did. At most, it’s kind of silly.)
If an Aussie calls me a ‘Yank’, I’m not insulted.
The term ‘Seppo’ however….
Yes, as a northerner I find it offensive. I don’t refer to southern people with a dumb nickname unless I’m trying to insult them. I expect the same.