NationStates Jolt Archive

As someone from the southern US, I am often subjected to being called a Yank by people from the UK, Ireland, Australia, and other parts of the commonwealth. But this is particularly caommon from those from the UK. If I can fin the courtesy to avoid placing someone from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, or Wales, or England improperly, can you at least return the favor and not call us southerners yanks? Just as an Englishman is different from a scotsman, so is a yank different from a southerner.
Thank you. :)

(I'm just sure this is going to turn out bad, but I am getting tired of it.)

Just don't call us Limeys. ;)

AGREED! I'm a good southerner, I'm not a damn yank!

I have no problem being called an American, just dont call me a damn yank.

Just don't call us Limeys. ;)

Yeah, and where the hell did that expression come from anyway? It doesnt make any sense.

"UK, Ireland, Australia, and other parts of the commonwealth"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HE CALLED IRELAND PART OF THE COMMONWEALTH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

j/k but you shouldnt be doing that its like me calling the US part of the common wealth

Yeah, and where the hell did that expression come from anyway? It doesnt make any sense.

Naval tradition: the British ate limes to stave off scurvy on trans-Atlantic journeys.

"UK, Ireland, Australia, and other parts of the commonwealth"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HE CALLED IRELAND PART OF THE COMMONWEALTH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

j/k but you shouldnt be doing that its like me calling the US part of the common wealth


My sincere apologies!!!! I did not intend to inbclude all of Ireland in the commonwealth!!! Pooor word orde on my part! :( :( :(

As someone from the southern US, I am often subjected to being called a Yank by people from the UK, Ireland, Australia, and other parts of the commonwealth. But this is particularly caommon from those from the UK. If I can fin the courtesy to avoid placing someone from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, or Wales, or England improperly, can you at least return the favor and not call us southerners yanks? Just as an Englishman is different from a scotsman, so is a yank different from a southerner.
Thank you. :)

(I'm just sure this is going to turn out bad, but I am getting tired of it.)
I would love to see the man who'll call me a Yank. Hehe, just dont do it to me.

My sincere apologies!!!! I did not intend to inbclude all of Ireland in the commonwealth!!! Pooor word orde on my part! :( :( :(
I suppose I could forgive you...



someday;)

I would love to see the man who'll call me a Yank. Hehe, just dont do it to me.Must resist curiousity growing must not use word "YANK".
Must remember "Cat Killed, Curiousity Blamed"

How'd I do that I posted after Cog.


AGAIN!!!!

As someone from the southern US, I am often subjected to being called a Yank by people from the UK, Ireland, Australia, and other parts of the commonwealth. But this is particularly caommon from those from the UK. If I can fin the courtesy to avoid placing someone from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, or Wales, or England improperly, can you at least return the favor and not call us southerners yanks? Just as an Englishman is different from a scotsman, so is a yank different from a southerner.
Thank you. :)

(I'm just sure this is going to turn out bad, but I am getting tired of it.)
Sure! No problem, Redneck! :p

--The Jovial States of Cogitation
"Laugh about it for a moment."
NationStates Self-Proclaimed Court Jester

How'd I do that I posted after Cog.


AGAIN!!!!
That happened to me in another thread today. I see the post after me, yet when I post, my post appears before that one.

Naval tradition: the British ate limes to stave off scurvy on trans-Atlantic journeys.

There is some historical debate as to the exact oirigins. Some say the navy mistook high vitamin C lemons for "over-ripe" limes. Others say that the navy
mistook vitamin C poor limes for rich lemons. Either way, that is, more or less. the origin either resapectful or not )the not camp claiming that it originated as a means of making fun of the navy who poorly picked limes over lemons - smells of an urban legend to me...)

How'd I do that I posted after Cog.


AGAIN!!!!
I believe that there is more than one forums server that hosts the Jolt forums. I believe that their clocks are not properly synchronized. So, server 1 gets a post, marks it as being 2:44 PM, and puts it in the database, and server 2 gets a post right after that, marks it as being 2:42 PM, and puts it in the same database.

--The Democratic States of Cogitation

Sure! No problem, Redneck! :p

--The Jovial States of Cogitation
"Laugh about it for a moment."
NationStates Self-Proclaimed Court Jester

Ok, Homework for you - what is the origin of the term redneck? (note that the term may or may not be insulting... just like POM...)

...)the not camp claiming that it originated as a means of making fun of the navy who poorly picked limes over lemons - smells of an urban legend to me...)

You would think they had enough to mock the Royal Navy over, what with all the buggery, cannibalism and their difficulties at recognising young ladies disguised as cabinboys, without having to invent an implausible story concerning their inability to tell limes from lemons, wouldn't you?

Ok, Homework for you - what is the origin of the term redneck? (note that the term may or may not be insulting... just like POM...)

sunburn?

Ok, Homework for you - what is the origin of the term redneck? (note that the term may or may not be insulting... just like POM...)
I think and I could be completely wrong(dont know where I heard this from) that it comes from Farmers working out in the sun all day so they would have red sun-burnt necks.

I suppose I could forgive you...



someday;)

Would a bottle of John Power's whiskey help make it up?
(One of those I wish I could find readily here...)

Ok, Homework for you - what is the origin of the term redneck? (note that the term may or may not be insulting... just like POM...)
I found this through a Google search: http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/redneck.htm

Theories on the history of the term seem to diverge a bit: one theory says it refers to sunburned farmers, another theory says Native Americans, and a third theory talks about the The Anglo-Boer War in southern Africa.

I'll also point out that I used the term purely as a joke. If it offends you, I can retract/delete the post.

--The Democratic States of Cogitation

I think and I could be completely wrong(dont know where I heard this from) that it comes from Farmers working out in the sun all day so they would have red sun-burnt necks.

Yes, however the English term for Scots and Irish, "red legs", is probably at precursor, espsecially as most "rednecks" are of Scotish/Irish ethnicity. (And never that forget many of those were "transported" to North America as virtual slaves...)

I found this through a Google search: http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/redneck.htm

Theories on the history of the term seem to diverge a bit: one theory says it refers to sunburned farmers, another theory says Native Americans, and a third theory talks about the The Anglo-Boer War in southern Africa.

I'll also point out that I used the term purely as a joke. If it offends you, I can retract/delete the post.

--The Democratic States of Cogitation

No worries. No harm done. I'd rather be called a(n honest) redneck or good ole boy than a yank. :D From my understanding (as indicated by my above post) it may actually predate "redneck", and have it's origind in the term red legs. Or maybe not. ;)

No worries. No harm done. I'd rather be called a(n honest) redneck or good ole boy than a yank. :D
Okay, good. :) Your tone-of-voice in Post #16 wasn't clear, so I wasn't sure if you taken offense or not.

--The Democratic States of Cogitation

Yes, however the English term for Scots and Irish, "red legs", is probably at precursor, espsecially as most "rednecks" are of Scotish/Irish ethnicity. (And never that forget many of those were "transported" to North America as virtual slaves...)
Never heard of the term red legs before. "transported" No no they had a choice, starve in Ireland where the English protestants wherent helping with the Famine as much as they should(because god was punishing the Irish) or go to America.

"transported" No no they had a choice, starve in Ireland where the English protestants wherent helping with the Famine as much as they should(because god was punishing the Irish) or go to America.

Those who were transported as criminals to work in the New World in the century before the potato famine had no choice: somewhere around 40,000 convicts were sent to America. Ain't you read your "Moll Flanders" by Daniel Defoe?

Never heard of the term red legs before. "transported" No no they had a choice, starve in Ireland where the English protestants wherent helping with the Famine as much as they should (because god was punishing the Irish) or go to America.

Redshankes (or red Legs) was a historical term (http://www.tartansauthority.com/Web/Site/Highland_Dress/Reddshankes.asp) and came from being bare legged.

Oh and transported is the term used by England for sending convicts (including Scottish and Irish) to the Americas (including the carribean (http://www.newworldcelts.org/carribean.html) where their descendants are still known as red legs) and later to Australia. Here's a good timeline (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bruceporteous/research/timeline.html).

Yes, however the English term for Scots and Irish, "red legs", is probably at precursor, espsecially as most "rednecks" are of Scotish/Irish ethnicity. (And never that forget many of those were "transported" to North America as virtual slaves...)

I hadnt heard that before, although someone once told me that the term "hill billy" is linked to the ulster-scots emigration to the US (they sang songs about "Good King Billy" ) Dunno if its true tho

I shall call you Billy Yank no more Johnny Reb.

What does 'yank' mean then. Where does it come from, I why can't I call those from the southern US one?

For Europeans, a Yank is an American. For most of the U.S., a Yank is a person who lives north of the Pennsylvania / Maryland border. To those people who live north of that border, a Yank is someone from New England. In New England, a Yank is someone from New Hampshire. In New Hampshire, a Yank is someone who comes from the swamp, and eats pie for breakfast.

As someone from the southern US, I am often subjected to being called a Yank by people from the UK, Ireland, Australia, and other parts of the commonwealth. But this is particularly caommon from those from the UK. If I can fin the courtesy to avoid placing someone from Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, or Wales, or England improperly, can you at least return the favor and not call us southerners yanks? Just as an Englishman is different from a scotsman, so is a yank different from a southerner.
Thank you. :)

(I'm just sure this is going to turn out bad, but I am getting tired of it.)

I tend to take the word 'Yank' as something entirely different to the original meaning.
'Yank' was used as slang to describe the gung-ho soldiers of the US during WW2.
Now I use it to mean Bush and his gung-ho followers and anyone else is simply an American (or occasionally a 'USAian' :D)

What does 'yank' mean then. Where does it come from, I why can't I call those from the southern US one?

It means a person from the North-Eastern US, particularly New England. It probably comes from the Dutch name Janke.
The etymology is uncertain; one suggestion is that it derives from Dutch Janke, diminutive of Jan (John), or Jan Kees, for "John Cheese", a nickname for English settlers bestowed by the Dutch in the early days of New York City. The phrase was probably popularized by the English in the song Yankee Doodle Dandee to describe New Yorkers, and perhaps, all (Northern) Americans in the colonies. (http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Yankee)

You shouldn't call a southerner a yank for the same reason you don't call a Scot an Englishman.

I tend to take the word 'Yank' as something entirely different to the original meaning.
'Yank' was used as slang to describe the gung-ho soldiers of the US during WW2.
Now I use it to mean Bush and his gung-ho followers and anyone else is simply an American (or occasionally a 'USAian' )

Actually I really would prefer USAian to American. American excludes Canadians and the many Americans to the south of the US, all of whom live in the Americas.