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The term Yank comes from Yankee Doodle which was a song the British sang to denigrate American soldiers by intimating they dressed above their station and were somewhat effeminate- "Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni" (a big wig)". Doodle means fool/simpleton.
Origins are pre American Revolution. Later the American soldiers turned it into a popular song and sang it themselves.
Probably changed the lyrics over time as well.
The term Yank comes from Yankee Doodle which was a song the British sang to denigrate American soldiers by intimating they dressed above their station and were somewhat effeminate- "Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni" (a big wig)". Doodle means fool/simpleton.
Origins are pre American Revolution. Later the American soldiers turned it into a popular song and sang it themselves.
Probably changed the lyrics over time as well.
According to your link it pre-dates the American Revolution and was used by the Marquis de Lafayette (a US Commander to taunt the British). So it was the other way around.
I would also say that the tune and words are more Pan-European than merely British.
There are numerous places in Britain with links to various nursery rhymes such as Pop Goes the Weasel and the Eagle Pub in London or Oranges and Lemons in relation to London Churches or Humpty Dumpty and Colchester Barracks or Here we go round the Mulberry Bush and Wakefield Prison or This Old Man and it's links to Liverpool or Bobby Shafto's Gone to Sea links to County Durham etc etc.
I don't think there is any really similar strong link regarding Yankee Doodle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wiki - Yankee Doodle
The tune of "Yankee Doodle" is thought to be much older than the lyrics, being well known across western Europe, including England, France, Netherlands, Hungary, and Spain.
The melody of the song may have originated from an Irish tune "All the way to Galway" in which the second strain is identical to Yankee Doodle
During the aftermath of the Siege of Yorktown, the surrendering British soldiers looked only at the French soldiers present, refusing to pay the American soldiers any heed.
The Marquis de Lafayette was outraged and ordered his band to play "Yankee Doodle" in response to taunt the British.
Upon doing so, the British soldiers at last looked upon the Americans.
The term Yank comes from Yankee Doodle which was a song the British sang to denigrate American soldiers by intimating they dressed above their station and were somewhat effeminate- "Stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni" (a big wig)". Doodle means fool/simpleton.
Origins are pre American Revolution. Later the American soldiers turned it into a popular song and sang it themselves.
Probably changed the lyrics over time as well.
"Yank" only refers to an American from north of the Mason Dixie line.
I had an aunt who worked in a pub in England during WW2. Some of the GIs who drank at the pub came from the southern US States and got quite offended when called Yanks
I'm not admonishing anyone, I'm observing. "Brits" is a term I see and hear Britons use and call themselves.
Yet that's what I hear most if not all Brits call the US, America.
And most, if not all, Americans use "America" in colloquial speech. "Brits" and "America" are colloquialisms.
Isn't colloquial communication obvious? Colloquialisms are used everywhere. Most people in any language don't always speak, or even write, in formal terms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RubyandPearl
What I was wondering was why so many people from the UK use "America " instead of US. It just seems shorter simpler and easier than saying America.
It took several posts and pages to get to this simple question that you could have asked in your initial post, or in a number of subsequent posts.
Most Americans don't say the US. They say America. Perhaps Americans find it easier to say than the US. Maybe those Brits are being polite by trying to communicate with you in your American English language using the most commonly-used colloquialism which happens to be "America".
You could ask them for their reasons when they communicate with you.
It came across as admonishing because you singled out "Brits" and gave unnecessary, if not condescending, geography lessons...even though it's common knowledge that people from the US and countries all over the world are known to use "America" more often than other colloquialisms.
Last edited by SimplySagacious; 07-28-2023 at 10:35 AM..
And most, if not all, Americans use "America" in colloquial speech. "Brits" and "America" are colloquialisms.
Isn't colloquial communication obvious? Colloquialisms are used everywhere. Most people in any language don't always speak, or even write, in formal terms.
It took several posts and pages to get to this simple question that you could have asked in your initial post, or in a number of subsequent posts.
Most Americans don't say the US. They say America. Perhaps Americans find it easier to say than the US. Maybe those Brits are being polite by trying to communicate with you in your American English language using the most commonly-used colloquialism which happens to be "America".
You could ask them for their reasons when they communicate with you.
It came across as admonishing because you singled out "Brits" and gave unnecessary, if not condescending, geography lessons...even though it's common knowledge that people from the US and countries all over the world are known to use "America" more often than other colloquialisms.
No need to be so touchy, Simply.
Most people in the US don't say "America" they say US. Shorter and simpler.
Sorry I didn't phrase the initial question to your liking.
i think nowadays I hear The States more than America.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801
That's what Canadians always said to me after hearing me speak. "Are you from The States?"
Quote:
Originally Posted by porterjack
never heard it said but I often read the term USians online, which I always thought was just a lazy way of typing Americans.
Yup. "The States" is what we Canadians typically say. Americans come from the States or from States-side or from America or from "away" or from "across the border". And we don't generally call it the Canadian or the American border, it's just "the border" because it's a shared no-name border, it doesn't belong to either country.
I've had conversations with Americans visiting here in Canada who have asked if Canadians call them Usasians or USAsians, United Statesians, Statesians, Staters or State-siders, United States of Americans or US Americans, or Yankees or just Murkins, Muricans or Americans or Southerners?
So although I think most Americans apparently introduce and refer to themselves as Americans there does seem to be a little bit of confusion with some Americans about how or what they feel they should correctly be referred to. One couple and their kids that were up visiting from Louisiana and came to our place for dinner got themselves really worked up into a lather about it. They were that upset about not having what they thought was a correct national name for themselves as an identifier. I had never thought anything about what is a proper national identifier for folks from the States until the subject was introduced by our States-side visitors.
Yup. "The States" is what we Canadians typically say. Americans come from the States or from States-side or from America or from "away" or from "across the border". And we don't generally call it the Canadian or the American border, it's just "the border" because it's a shared no-name border, it doesn't belong to either country.
I've had conversations with Americans visiting here in Canada who have asked if Canadians call them Usasians or USAsians, United Statesians, Statesians, Staters or State-siders, United States of Americans or US Americans, or Yankees or just Murkins, Muricans or Americans or Southerners?
So although I think most Americans apparently introduce and refer to themselves as Americans there does seem to be a little bit of confusion with some Americans about how or what they feel they should correctly be referred to. One couple and their kids that were up visiting from Louisiana and came to our place for dinner got themselves really worked up into a lather about it. They were that upset about not having what they thought was a correct national name for themselves as an identifier. I had never thought anything about what is a proper national identifier for folks from the States until the subject was introduced by our States-side visitors.
.
Americans are not confused.
One ding bat couple from pelican land who get worked up about it are not representative of all Americans.
I have travelled a great deal to all parts of the globe and I have never asked anyone about the nomenclature of people from the USA. Nor has anyone asked me about it.
What I found is that Anglophone people tended to use States and non-Anglophone people said America.
For example, in Canada, I am from the states. In Italy, I am from America.
In Oz, I am from the states. In France, I am from America.
In England, GB, and the UK, I am from the states. In China, I am from America.
According to your link it pre-dates the American Revolution and was used by the Marquis de Lafayette (a US Commander to taunt the British). So it was the other way around.
Not sure what you mean about "the other way around". The link says "The song was a pre-Revolutionary War song originally sung by British military officers to mock the disheveled, disorganized colonial "Yankees" with whom they served in the French and Indian War. "
I did write it was pre-revolutionary.
Our allies, Gens. Lafayette and Rochambeau, greatly helped us Americans win the war. Lafayette saw that the American soldiers were being ignored and ordered the tune to point that out to the British who were their enemies at the time. I don't think they were ever American citizens- always French.
I don't think the north/south distinction about Yanks in WW11 is particularly relevant, since the point is when the term originated. All Americans were Yankees long before WW11.
I find that most Americans in the US use the term American and do not make the distinction between Northern Americans- Canadians or Southern Latin Americans, since it would make too long an explanation. So I think the Brits call America "America" is because we do.
We here in the US call Canadians "Canadian" and Latin Americans Latinos or the name of the country they come from- Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, etc. etc.
One ding bat couple from pelican land who get worked up about it are not representative of all Americans.
I have travelled a great deal to all parts of the globe and I have never asked anyone about the nomenclature of people from the USA. Nor has anyone asked me about it.
What I found is that Anglophone people tended to use States and non-Anglophone people said America.
For example, in Canada, I am from the states. In Italy, I am from America.
In Oz, I am from the states. In France, I am from America.
In England, GB, and the UK, I am from the states. In China, I am from America.
In terms of the States, it is recognised in the UK, however your actual nationality is officially American.
The UK also uses terms like US and USA as well as States but you come in to contact with the authorities and your citizenship would be American, whilst your country would possible be the US and in US passports, which are held by American citizens.
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