New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-21
DERIVATION OF YANKEE"
THE WORD LITTLE USED BEFORE THD
REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
1T MAY BE TRACED TO PERSIAN PHRAsR
MEANING INHABITANTS OF THE
Hrv wopfDv

NEW WORLD"
When the early English settlers in this country
began to mold intercourse with the native Indians
the latter experienced much difficulty In pronounc.
ing the national name OF the newcomers. They
twisted the word English into Yenghees. and II 10
supposed that from their way Of calling the early
settlers the present word Yankee came into use.
The word does not seem to have been much In
vogue however. until the Revolutionary War. and
Is found in but few writings previous TO that Time
One author In the year l775 speaks OF the name as
something new while many OF the best authorities
on Indian languages find no mention or 1t among
tribes outside OF New England Yet there are evil
dences of the name being used as term OF re-
proach by the English to the Inhabitants OF the
colony during the war.
In old book. published In 1870 footnote ABOUT
the name Yankee Is given. which fully explains the
way the Indian pronunciation OF the word Eng.
lish" gradually developed into the name Yankee"
The broad cultural 'ores Of the indian soon rnodi-
fed the original word into 'Yanghees." the e
being hard and the III suppressed. This seems
beyond doubt to be the derivation Of the word. ana
but little credencc Is given TO the account III D'eo
rich knckerboclcrs history OF the tribes OF Inc
ians named Yankoos. Students regard the story ot
this tribe as OF the Dutchmans little jokes, OK
which he was so fond There is no good authority
for believing In the existence OF such people. ana
there Is evidence that any such name was ever
adopted by any clan or tribe throughout the
world. IT IS however. believed that the Dutcn set
tiers Of New-Amsterdsm md along the Hudson
took the name from the Indians and applied II as
an epithe. OF contempt for their English neighbors
In this connection there Is given In Notes ana
Queries a curious account Of the possible ori.
gin Of Yankee Doodle" tracing II 10 the Per-
sian phrase "Yankidoo-nah." o. inhabitants OF
the new world" In his book on "Nineveh and Us
Remains" Iayard speaks OF "Yanghi-dunia as the
Persian name for America. ,,,
After the breaking cut OF the Revolutionary war
the name OF Yankee became exceedingly popular,
ard in a short time a privateer called the YANKEE
Herd, was fitted out and dispatched from New:
England town. and many illusions To the word ana
its meaning be found in the correspondence OF
that time. In letter OF the period. written by
British officer his friends In the mother country,
and dated Hartford. Conn" he speaks or the
poor Yankees" as they designated the New-Eng:
land soldiers Another letter Of the same period
tells how I'm a skirmish the British troops were
roughly handled by the Yankees. Nearly always
the name was ussd to designate the inhabiants OF
the New England section of the land. ard had
many different spellings. such as YANKEE; bahko'
Yanhu ANA The Yankee. which at present IN Amer
lea is still applied chiefly to those VINO live Wltnin
the borders Of New-England but which In tne
minrs of foreigners, means ANYBODY n'ihs III
the United States. ,, -
Although the name has been used 10 imply re-
H. the American people have grown 20 rather
ike the cognomen. and fail 70 resent ms use py lot
eigners even when coupled with more or less oppro-
b.ous epithets such have been heard during me
las, few months. for as a race, the Yankees nave
never suffered defeat nor have they the reputation
for other than the eairest play ana most honest
| dealing.