The English language is chock filled with abbreviations. Whereas the phrases behind many of those shortened kinds are likely to really feel relatively apparent (like ft. for toes and VP for vp), there are many much less extensively recognized examples ― even among the many widespread shorthands we use in on a regular basis speech and writing.
Certainly, not everybody could have the reply if you happen to ask what “a.m.” and “p.m.” stand for, or why we use “lb.” to abbreviate a pound. And I just lately had the belief that, regardless of saying and texting it a number of occasions a day, I had no thought what OK stands for.
We sometimes use OK or okay to specific assent, settlement or acceptance. It may also be an adjective or adverb to recommend one thing is passable. Over time, it’s even grow to be a verb and noun to point approval or authorization. OK now seems in numerous languages around the globe and was even one of many first sounds uttered on the moon.
Regardless of the ubiquity of “OK,” my casual polling of buddies and colleagues discovered that not a single one knew the phrases behind these two letters.
This isn’t terribly shocking. Even etymologists had been uncertain of the that means and origin of OK for a few years. Some advised it derived from the Choctaw “okeh,” that means “it's,” whereas others pointed to West African origins by way of the Mande and Wolof languages. Further theories concerned Orrin Kendall, producer of a well-liked military biscuit that sustained many Union troopers throughout the Civil Struggle, or the Haitian port Aux Cayes, which was well-known for its rum exports.
Though some debate persists, essentially the most extensively accepted rationalization amongst language specialists comes from the late etymologist and lexicographer Allen Walker Learn. A professor at Columbia College, Learn examined the historical past of “OK” in a sequenceofarticlesrevealed in American Speech in 1963 and 1964, and concluded that it comes from “oll korrect,” an intentional misspelling of “all appropriate.”
“He discovered that Charles Gordon Inexperienced of the Boston Morning Submit got here up with it as a spelling joke shared by newspapers, like an web meme from an earlier time,” etymologist Barry Popik advised HuffPost. ”‘OK’ means ‘all appropriate.’ That needs to be ‘AC,’ but it surely’s a joke.”
Certainly, the primary recognized revealed look of OK with this that means comes from a bit within the March 23, 1839, difficulty of The Boston Morning Submit, which describes the actions of a satirical group known as the Anti-Bell Ringing Society.
The above is from the Windfall Journal, the editor of which is slightly too fast on the set off, on this event. We stated not a phrase about our deputation passing “by way of town” of Windfall. — We stated our brethren had been going to New York within the Richmond, they usually did go, as per Submit of Thursday. The “Chairman of the Committee on Charity Lecture Bells,” is likely one of the deputation, and maybe if he ought to return to Boston, by way of Windfall, he of the Journal, and his prepare-band, would have his “contribution field,” et ceteras, o.okay. — all appropriate — and trigger the corks to fly, like sparks, upward.
Subsequentmentions of “O.Okay. ― all appropriate” appeared in The Boston Morning Submit within the following days and weeks, and the time period quickly reached different papers like The Baltimore Solar and The Philadelphia Gazette.
This sort of intentional misspelling is harking back to more moderen linguistic fads, like using “kewl” or “kool” as an alternative of “cool,” and customary abbreviations like LOL and NSFW.
“We consider intentional misspellings as a contemporary phenomenon, however I really like that interval of American historical past ― the 1830s and ’40s ― as a result of it feels prefer it was a time when Individuals actually began having enjoyable with their language and doing issues like developing with artistic improvements,” stated lexicographer and Wall Avenue Journal columnist Ben Zimmer. “OK grew out of a sort of abbreviation play that was standard within the U.S. and the U.Okay. on the time, lengthy earlier than text-speak. It’s humorous as a result of it mixed two playful tendencies ― comical misspellings and this fad for making abbreviations for phrases, like NG for ‘no good.’”
Different abbreviations of misspelled phrases round that point included KY for “know yuse,” to imply “no use,” and KG for “know go,” as in “no-go.”
“Earlier than OK was OW, which was from a misspelled model of ‘all proper’ ― ‘oll wright,’” Zimmer added. “That reveals up first in The Boston Morning Submit after which OK reveals up. The editor was having a number of enjoyable with this.”
We might have politics to thank for propelling OK to new heights, nonetheless.
“Folks at one level assumed it got here from Martin Van Buren’s nickname ‘Outdated Kinderhook’ throughout the 1840 presidential election,” Zimmer stated. “There have been buttons that stated ‘OK,’ so individuals assumed that the Van Buren marketing campaign got here up with it, however they had been simply piggybacking on this factor that got here from Boston.”
The Democratic incumbent’s supporters even fashioned “OK Golf equipment,” a few of which had the slogan “OK is OK!” However Van Buren’s Whig Social gathering opponents used OK in a really completely different method ― to denigrate his predecessor and mentor Andrew Jackson.
A March 1840 difficulty of The New York Herald both promulgated or originated the rumor that Jackson was illiterate and believed “all appropriate” was spelled “ole kurrek,” so he wrote OK on official paperwork to point approval. Thus the parable unfold, catapulting OK into the nationwide dialog. And, as they are saying, the remainder is historical past.
The truth that OK has managed to keep up such a maintain in our on a regular basis language within the U.S. and much past the English-speaking world is spectacular, to say the least. The late linguist Allan Metcalf even wrote a ebook known as “OK: The Unbelievable Story of America’s Biggest Phrase” and proposed a vacation known as “OK Day” on March 23 to rejoice its first recognized quotation on March 23, 1839.
“I agree with Allan Metcalf’s level in his ebook that it’s an extremely unbelievable historical past ― that this two-word abbreviation coming from some humorous little fad within the 1830s might take over the world,” Zimmer stated. “It simply goes to indicate that language develops in surprising methods. The issues individuals discover fascinating or amusing and wish to use can come from all types of various sources.”
Zimmer believes taking a look at examples from the previous, like OK, can assist us perceive the best way individuals innovate with language at present by way of memes and on-line slang, which nonetheless embody humorous abbreviations. And though we consider the language of the previous as formal as a result of we’re used to encountering it by way of literature and nonfiction texts, we are able to discover extra informal and enjoyable writing in locations like outdated comedian strips and humorous newspaper columns.
“You may see that there’s this impulse that lengthy predates fashionable communication and expertise,” Zimmer stated. “You can simply use newspapers again within the day to unfold these artistic issues. That’s fascinating to me. I really like the best way we are able to sort of see the playfulness of language by way of an instance like OK. Folks have the constructing blocks of language at their disposal and might all the time provide you with one thing new.”
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