Ami/Amis
Noun- A German slang term used to refer to citizens of the United States of America. Originally, coined during the 1950s to describe American soldiers, the word is a shortened version of the German word "Amerikaneri." This term is used frequently in informal speech, especially in areas near an American military base in western German or by the general public in the German Democratic Republic (also known as East Germany).
It is used in a fashion similar to how the terms "Kiwi", "Brit", or "Aussie" are in American English. This means it is mostly used as a neutral or endearing slang term for Americans, though it is sometimes used in a disparaging fashion by Germans expressing anti-American sentiment. Due to the lingering political and cultural divisions between Western and Eastern Germany, anti-American sentiment is more prevalent in formerly communist East Germany. The speaker's intent and the geographic context in which "Ami(s)" is used are important when inferring it if is intended as a slur or an affectionate term.
It is used in a fashion similar to how the terms "Kiwi", "Brit", or "Aussie" are in American English. This means it is mostly used as a neutral or endearing slang term for Americans, though it is sometimes used in a disparaging fashion by Germans expressing anti-American sentiment. Due to the lingering political and cultural divisions between Western and Eastern Germany, anti-American sentiment is more prevalent in formerly communist East Germany. The speaker's intent and the geographic context in which "Ami(s)" is used are important when inferring it if is intended as a slur or an affectionate term.
Example of Ami/Amis in song:
"What is our life worth, when only the sword rules, and the whole world crumbles into dead sand?
But that won't happen because we don't want to perish, so we shout throughout our German land:
,Go home, Ami, Ami go home! Split your atom for peace!
Say goodbye to Father Rhine and don't touch his daughter Lorelei'
Lorelei, as long as you sing, Germany will exist!"
-Lyrics from "Ami, Go Home!", a popular East German military marching tune.
"What is our life worth, when only the sword rules, and the whole world crumbles into dead sand?
But that won't happen because we don't want to perish, so we shout throughout our German land:
,Go home, Ami, Ami go home! Split your atom for peace!
Say goodbye to Father Rhine and don't touch his daughter Lorelei'
Lorelei, as long as you sing, Germany will exist!"
-Lyrics from "Ami, Go Home!", a popular East German military marching tune.
Ami/Amis by MLPfanfictionwriter January 12, 2023
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