Yankee - Contemporary Uses - in Other Parts of The World

In Other Parts of The World

In some parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries and in East Asia, yankee or yanqui (the same word spelled according to Spanish orthography) is sometimes associated with anti-Americanism and used in expressions such as "Yankee go home" or "we struggle against the yanqui, enemy of mankind" (words from the Sandinista anthem). In Spain, however, just as in Great Britain or other English-speaking areas, the term (yanqui in Spanish spelling) is simply used to refer to someone from the US, whether colloquially, playfully or derogatively, with no particular emphasis on the latter use. This can also be the case in many countries of Latin America. In Venezuelan Spanish there is the word pitiyanqui, derived ca. 1940 around the oil industry from petty yankee or petit yanqui, a derogatory term for those who profess an exaggerated and often ridiculous admiration for anything from the United States.

In the late 19th century, the Japanese were called "the Yankees of the East" in praise of their industriousness and drive to modernization. In Japan since the late 1970s, the term Yankī has been used to refer to a type of delinquent youth.

In Korea, the word "Yankee" is often used to denote anyone who is white Caucasian, and also some non-white Caucasian from countries which are perceived to be predominantly 'white', including, but not limited to, Britain, Australia, Canada, and most of Europe. It is commonly understood and used as a mild derogatory term against "white" people; Thus, it is not uncommon to see Korean people calling white people such as French or Swedish "Yankee(s)".

During the Philippine-American War, Filipinos referred to Americans as "yanquis."

In Finland, the word jenkki (yank) is sometimes used to refer to any US citizen, and with the same group of people Jenkkilä (Yankeeland) refers to the US itself. It is not considered offensive or anti-US, but rather a colloquial expression. However, more commonly a US citizen is called amerikkalainen (American) or yhdysvaltalainen ('United Statesian') and the country itself 'Amerikka' or 'Yhdysvallat'.

The variant Yankee Air Pirate was used during the Vietnam War in North Vietnamese propaganda to refer to the United States Air Force.

In Iceland, the word kani is used for Yankee or Yank in the mildly derogatory sense. When referring to residents of the US, norðurríkjamaður, or more commonly bandaríkjamaður, is used.

In Polish, the word jankes can refer to any US citizen, has little pejorative connotation if at all, and its use is somewhat obscure (it is mainly used to translate the English word Yankee in a less formal context, e.g. in a movie about the American Civil War).

In Sweden the word is translated to jänkare. The word is not itself a negative expression, though it can of course be used as such depending on context. When a Swedish person uses the word jänkare, it usually refers to cars from the US, but could also be used as a slang term for any US citizen.

In India, an ice cream chain with the name Yankee Doodle was popular during the 80s.

Joshua Slocum, in his 1899 book Sailing Alone Around the World refers to Nova Scotians as being the only or true Yankees. It thus may be implied, as he himself was a Nova Scotian, that he had pride in his ancestry. Yankee in this instance, instead of connoting a form of derision, is therefore a form of praise; perhaps relevant to the hardy seagoing people of the East Coast at that time.

Yankee is the code word for the letter "Y" in the NATO phonetic alphabet. In this usage, it is referred to in the title of the 2002 Wilco album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot."