Mysteries of vernacular Yankee Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel
Mysteries of vernacular:
Yankee,
a New England resident
or, more generally, a person who lives in
or is from the United States.
Though the origin of Yankee is uncertain,
this all-American word most likely descended
from the Dutch moniker Janke,
a diminutive meaning little Jan,
or little John.
In the 17th century,
Janke was the common nickname of Dutch sailors,
pirates in particular.
A Dutch pirate ship operating in the West Indies
was even called the Yankee.
Over the years, Yankee transformed
from a pirate’s nickname
into a general term of contempt.
In 1758, British general James Wolfe
used Yankee as a pejorative term
for the colonists under his supervision.
But the insult wasn’t limited to soldiers.
Yankee quickly came to mean New Englander,
and by the 1780s,
it was used to look down
upon any American.
During the Revolution,
colonists co-opted Yankee
and transformed it into a mark of national honor.
The Civil War, however,
intensified the derisive definition
when it was used by Southerners
to mock members of the Union.
Today, it carries much less emotion,
unless, of course,
we’re talking about baseball.