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But as with the term 'Pom' for the British, I do not use 'Yank' any more in my vocabulary to describe Americans
You have to be very PC in this day and age, so there is always a chance now of upsetting someone. So Now I definitely do not use it
I won't have any reservations about calling Americans "Yanks" or "Seppos"
I haven't done it here... but it would be fun to start, if/when I go to Australia.
I feel like a step-brother to them... who they never let into their "club."
Plus with my accent they will probably be confused, rather than offended.
I won't have any reservations about calling Americans "Yanks" or "Seppos"
I haven't done it here... but it would be fun to start, if/when I go to Australia.
I feel like a step-brother to them... who they never let into their "club."
Plus with my accent they will probably be confused, rather than offended.
Being I am from Michigan, and you are from Ontario....and the accent is almost the same. I'd definetely be confused.
Plus, within the U.S., I would be thinking you assume I am a New York Yankee fan...so definetely be confused. I'd be thinking you have a MI accent like me (not realizing it is ON), etc...and a MI guy would always be a 'Detroit Tiger', not a 'Yankees' fan...lol
If you used 'Seppo'....(and I know what it means when I meet Aussie), but if I were back home, I would do about a 100 excuse me's? Being a MI person again, I would probably think you were referring to the Michigan State Spartans....but I wouldn't be sure!
Being I am from Michigan, and you are from Ontario....and the accent is almost the same. I'd definetely be confused.
Plus, within the U.S., I would be thinking you assume I am a New York Yankee fan...so definetely be confused. I'd be thinking you have a MI accent like me (not realizing it is ON), etc...and a MI guy would always be a 'Detroit Tiger', not a 'Yankees' fan...lol
If you used 'Seppo'....(and I know what it means when I meet Aussie), but if I were back home, I would do about a 100 excuse me's? Being a MI person again, I would probably think you were referring to the Michigan State Spartans....but I wouldn't be sure!
Michigan accents are quite different to our ears, even if Michiganders can't hear it.
Many Michiganders have a "Northern Cities Shift" accent, so words like "bat" can sound a bit like "bee-yhut." This particular accent is a lot more nasal that ours; sounds similar to "Peter Griffin" on Family Guy. Co-workers have told me that people from MI say "hockey" and "hackey" (like hackey-sack) virtually the same, which is amusing to us.
Probably better most Americans don't know exactly what "seppo" is, so Aussies can continue laughing... or at least I will.
(rhythmic-slang: short for septic-tank, and the last word rhymes with yank)
Last edited by ColdCanadian; 09-16-2010 at 02:30 PM..
I am a native Bostonian, born and raised but am not considered a "yankee" here - that word is used here to refer to the descendants of the original English settlers in the region.
Probably better most Americans don't know exactly what "seppo" is, so Aussies can continue laughing... or at least I will.
(rhythmic-slang: short for septic-tank, and the last word rhymes with yank)
"Seppo" is just more imported English culture. They should start coming up with their own words.
I laugh when I hear anyone in the world call an American a yank. They cringe or get all butt hurt about it. Typically I hear the word yank used in phrases like "f'in yank" "bloody yank" ect.
Now there are people in the united states that refer to the north union lovers as yanks. But I am not sure if that phrase is still being passed around the south.
I laugh when I hear anyone in the world call an American a yank. They cringe or get all butt hurt about it. Typically I hear the word yank used in phrases like "f'in yank" "bloody yank" ect.
Now there are people in the united states that refer to the north union lovers as yanks. But I am not sure if that phrase is still being passed around the south.
It's very commonly used word in the U.S. South to refer to any Northerner. Very strongly in wide-usage.
As in: "I don't know about you yanks up north, but down here in da South, we do things a little different"
Or: "There sure a lot of Yankees moving to North Carolina"
I was driving through the South recently, and someone commented on my 'Yankee License Plate' - it says 'Michigan'....(Not New York - which is what everyone up north would refer to as Yankee).
So, when a Southerner goes abroad and gets called a 'Yank', he probably does get bent out of shape, but a Northerner certainly wouldn't, we'd find it funny.
I guess it would be like hearing a nice polished BRITISH accent and calling him a damn PIKEY
You'll find yankee used a lot in the South, but I can't say I've ever heard a Southerner say yank as a synonym. I think that's strictly a non-American usage. I don't mind yank (or even yankee much from non-Americans since they often don't know better), but it is a bit like calling a Scotsman an Englishman.
By the way, what is the term for Canadians that is a bit derogatory (or not) within Australia? Is there one?
Other than "Canucks", I've never heard Aussies call us by any other nickname.
As a French Canadian, though, I've been called a frog several times, which always makes me laugh, since our accent in French is different and doesn't make us sound like frogs as much as the accent in France...
Actually, most Americans could care less if they're called "Yankees" or "Yanks" (unless, of course, they're Southerners.. heh). It honestly has no negative connotations (like another poster noted, it's even the name of a baseball team, geez ) within the US - except, again, to Southerners.
I can easily see that changing, though, with all the 13-year-old chavs (and their ESL imitators around the world) on YouTube (and elsewhere) blathering (virtually, that is.. thank goodness ) about "stupid yanks lol."
Of course, the flip side of this phenomenon is that antiquated stereotypes Americans hold of the British (meaning a British Islander) - more specifially the English - will be dying out, too...
Cheerio, polite, posh fellow in a bowler hat!
(Oh, and 'seppo' makes the speaker look like a much bigger lamer than the object ever possibly could... )
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