If you have a wee dog like ours then it may well end up as pieces of mail if he gets to the doormat first.....strangely he seems to find credit card bills the most appetising.
American English vs British: Uriel, answer me, please!!!
<<Interesting how yanks refer to "British" this and that...>>
Yank, is a sort of an offensive word to call Americans. I wouldn't use it. Unless I'm addressing some unpleasnt person. As there are no gits here, at least for the moment, I would keep meself from using that term.
Yank, is a sort of an offensive word to call Americans. I wouldn't use it. Unless I'm addressing some unpleasnt person. As there are no gits here, at least for the moment, I would keep meself from using that term.
<<Yank, is a sort of an offensive word to call Americans. I wouldn't use it. Unless I'm addressing some unpleasnt person. As there are no gits here, at least for the moment, I would keep meself from using that term.>>
Well, not the sidetrack the conversation but it kind of depends. I don't find it offensive unless it was clearly intended to be so. Of course the funny thing is that when Americans refer to Yanks/Yankees they're referring to people from the Northeast or New England (or the baseball team) so if anything calling an American a "Yank(ee)" is somewhat odd to the average American not from the Northeast. For instance I'm not a Yankee since I'm from California. I live in San Diego, which is pretty much as far away as you can get from Yankeeland while still staying in the continental US!
Well, not the sidetrack the conversation but it kind of depends. I don't find it offensive unless it was clearly intended to be so. Of course the funny thing is that when Americans refer to Yanks/Yankees they're referring to people from the Northeast or New England (or the baseball team) so if anything calling an American a "Yank(ee)" is somewhat odd to the average American not from the Northeast. For instance I'm not a Yankee since I'm from California. I live in San Diego, which is pretty much as far away as you can get from Yankeeland while still staying in the continental US!
From wikipedia:
"A humorous aphorism attributed to E.B. White summarizes these distinctions:
To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
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."
"A humorous aphorism attributed to E.B. White summarizes these distinctions:
To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
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."
<<To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
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.>>
Hehe, that's a great classic quote. :) Can the Northeasterners here (ahem...Lazar) comment on how true this is? I've never been to Yankeeland myself.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
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.>>
Hehe, that's a great classic quote. :) Can the Northeasterners here (ahem...Lazar) comment on how true this is? I've never been to Yankeeland myself.
<<Hehe, that's a great classic quote. :) Can the Northeasterners here (ahem...Lazar) comment on how true this is? I've never been to Yankeeland myself.>>
To tell the truth, the term "Yankee" doesn't actually seem to be used that much round here outside of the sports context. In a broad regional context (especially in, say, a discussion of the Civil War era) we might use the term "Yankee" to refer to people from the Northeast in general; but I think the more common usage of the word "Yankee" (often preceded by "old" or "old-fashioned") would be to refer to people and places connected to the traditional English Protestant culture of New England. The common perception would probably be that the "old Yankees" in question are more common in the northern areas of New England (like Vermont and Maine) that have historically received fewer immigrants. Hence White's comment that "to New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter". To me, phrases like "old Yankee [whatever]" tend to evoke images of maple syrup, quaint little villages, colorful autumn foliage, and old-fashioned Maine and Nantucket fishermen.
But in general usage here, if you're referring to New Englanders as a general group, then you would just call them "New Englanders". I think "Yankees" wouldn't really convey the same meaning.
To tell the truth, the term "Yankee" doesn't actually seem to be used that much round here outside of the sports context. In a broad regional context (especially in, say, a discussion of the Civil War era) we might use the term "Yankee" to refer to people from the Northeast in general; but I think the more common usage of the word "Yankee" (often preceded by "old" or "old-fashioned") would be to refer to people and places connected to the traditional English Protestant culture of New England. The common perception would probably be that the "old Yankees" in question are more common in the northern areas of New England (like Vermont and Maine) that have historically received fewer immigrants. Hence White's comment that "to New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter". To me, phrases like "old Yankee [whatever]" tend to evoke images of maple syrup, quaint little villages, colorful autumn foliage, and old-fashioned Maine and Nantucket fishermen.
But in general usage here, if you're referring to New Englanders as a general group, then you would just call them "New Englanders". I think "Yankees" wouldn't really convey the same meaning.
<<To tell the truth, the term "Yankee" doesn't actually seem to be used that much round here outside of the sports context. In a broad regional context (especially in, say, a discussion of the Civil War era) we might use the term "Yankee" to refer to people from the Northeast in general; but I think the more common usage of the word "Yankee" (often preceded by "old" or "old-fashioned") would be to refer to people and places connected to the traditional English Protestant culture of New England. The common perception would probably be that the "old Yankees" in question are more common in the northern areas of New England (like Vermont and Maine) that have historically received fewer immigrants. Hence White's comment that "to New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter". To me, phrases like "old Yankee [whatever]" tend to evoke images of maple syrup, quaint little villages, colorful autumn foliage, and old-fashioned Maine and Nantucket fishermen.
But in general usage here, if you're referring to New Englanders as a general group, then you would just call them "New Englanders". I think "Yankees" wouldn't really convey the same meaning.>>
Oh, ok, thanks for the information.
But in general usage here, if you're referring to New Englanders as a general group, then you would just call them "New Englanders". I think "Yankees" wouldn't really convey the same meaning.>>
Oh, ok, thanks for the information.
>>Yank, is a sort of an offensive word to call Americans. I wouldn't use it.<<
It's a tad precious to be offended at first remove by a term which doesn't seem to trouble those who would be in a position to comment.
Let those who are not being sinned against decide if they're being stoned.
If that is an offensive term where you live, one must presume that "dang" and "drat" are considered depraved obscenities in your neck of the woods.
It's a tad precious to be offended at first remove by a term which doesn't seem to trouble those who would be in a position to comment.
Let those who are not being sinned against decide if they're being stoned.
If that is an offensive term where you live, one must presume that "dang" and "drat" are considered depraved obscenities in your neck of the woods.
<<It's a tad precious to be offended at first remove by a term which doesn't seem to trouble those who would be in a position to comment.
Let those who are not being sinned against decide if they're being stoned.>>
Well it was nice of Pete to think of others so he was just for being considerate in bringing up the issue.
I think "Yank(ee)" is generally considered by others to be a more offensive term than it really is perceived by Americans. When I studied abroad in Argentina I had an Argentine friend who once lightheartedly referred to the "yanquis" and after he did he immediately apologized because he thought it might've been offensive to me. It was nice of him to do so but I told him I wasn't offended and then I explained how we actually use the word. He was amused that to most Americans the first thing they think of when they hear the word "Yankee" is not an insult at all but a baseball team. In most Americans' experiences the only way "Yankee" is offensive is if you're a Yankees fan and a Mets fan (or some other fan of another team rival to the Yankees) yells it at you sneeringly. I think my Argentine friend thought it had stronger power as a word than I think it really does. Of course, it does depend on context---if said in a truly purposely offensive context I can see it being received negatively of course.
Let those who are not being sinned against decide if they're being stoned.>>
Well it was nice of Pete to think of others so he was just for being considerate in bringing up the issue.
I think "Yank(ee)" is generally considered by others to be a more offensive term than it really is perceived by Americans. When I studied abroad in Argentina I had an Argentine friend who once lightheartedly referred to the "yanquis" and after he did he immediately apologized because he thought it might've been offensive to me. It was nice of him to do so but I told him I wasn't offended and then I explained how we actually use the word. He was amused that to most Americans the first thing they think of when they hear the word "Yankee" is not an insult at all but a baseball team. In most Americans' experiences the only way "Yankee" is offensive is if you're a Yankees fan and a Mets fan (or some other fan of another team rival to the Yankees) yells it at you sneeringly. I think my Argentine friend thought it had stronger power as a word than I think it really does. Of course, it does depend on context---if said in a truly purposely offensive context I can see it being received negatively of course.
I can't think of a soul who would be offended by the word "Yank" in a America. Except for maybe Klu Klux Klan members from Alabama.
I think his point was that the name of the organization in question is the Ku Klux Klan, not the Klu Klux Klan.