Important events, famous birthdays and historical deaths from our searchable today in history archives. The spring and autumn annals is one of confucianisms five classics, and like the book of documents is a work of history, in this case chronicling the history of the state of lu, confucius home state, from 722481 b. Oct 12, 2010 i like to discover the origins and evolution of language, and thats exactly what allan metcalfs book ok. How did ok become one of the most popular words in the world.
Nov 08, 2010 indeed, ok became emblematic of a uniquely american attitude, and is one of our most successful global exports. The improbable story of americas greatest word does. The improbable story of americas greatest word allan. Around this time, the editor used it as an efficient, trendy way of saying oll korrect, or all correct. Nov 09, 2010 an appealing and informative history of ok. It is not at all surprising that a spectacular expression like o. Allen walker read first advanced the oll korrect explanation in his 1963 article the first stage in the history of o. Im glad you asked, because otherwise this article would have been way to short to publish. In fact, he is the person who first advanced the oll korrect explanation. This is the difference between scientific etymology and folk etymology. According to the world, what is the full form of the wordok. It is possibly the phrase with more alternative suggested derivations than any other. Reviews from washington post critic ron charles book. This was before words had one accepted spelling, and he spelt it oll korrect.
Apr 14, 2010 today i found out what ok stands for, namely oll korrect. It all began in the office of charles gordon greene at the boston morning. It is okthe most ubiquitous and invisible of american expressions, one used countless times every day. It has been described as the most frequently spoken or written word on the planet.
The countrywide publicity surrounding the election appears to have been a critical event in ok s history, widely and suddenly popularizing it across the united states. I read in my history book last year that thomas jefferson wanted to abbreviate all correct. Horizontal harmony of the four gospels in parallel columns. Meant as an abbreviation for oll korrect, a popular slang misspelling of all correct at the time. A spitzer tale is not oll korrect the new york times. If you liked this article and the bonus facts below, you might also enjoy. What is surprising is that it ended up sticking around for so long. Many years ago, i read in a history book that okay is a adaptation of a creek word. Ive known for a long time that ok was short for oll korrect, a joking misspelling of all correct from boston in 1839. He also documented controversy surrounding ok and the history of its folk.
The grecodegges article from the 1970s you cited is built upon allen walker reads work in the 1960s. First recorded use of ok as an abbreviation for oll korrect. You can read more about the history of the word in allan metcalfs book, ok. How to find a good book to get an overall view of the history of. It sprang, more generally, from an 1830s fad for abbreviations, like ng for no good and ow for oll wright or. I read this over the course of the couple months in short, short snippets. May 15, 2019 the grand tour cast on amazon vs the bbc, cars, and being recognized in syria british gq duration. Each political campaign brings out a new wrinkle in persuasion fast response being this years fashion but nothing compares to the immortal phrases concocted in the vanburenharrison contest of 1840. His book is based in the thorough scholarship of allen walker read, a columbia professor who for years scoured historical sources for evidence. Ive known for a long time that ok was short for oll korrect, a joking misspelling of all correct from boston. He was beautiful and determined, a far cry from the wallflower he was. Oll korrect etymology edit a deliberate, humorous corruption of all correct, dating from the 1830s, recognized as one of several possible origins for the term ok.
May 27, 2016 oll ko rrect using my subscription to, i searched for the oldest recorded use for oll korrect in the subset of current newspapers available to me, as of may 11, 2016. Jaargang 5 dbnl squashed philosophers complete text plato lesser hippias. Ok started as an intentionally misspelled abbreviation of all correct oll korrect. One theory claims ok abbreviates oll korrect, a bastardized spelling much like n. Club, thus having the double meaning of oll korrect and old kinderhook. Like good politicians, van burens supporters latched onto this trendy new affirmative and nicknamed their grassroots organizations. Ok first appeared as an abbreviation for oll korrect, printed in a satirical article about. The most likely origin of ok is as an acronym for oll korrect, a deliberate. The grand tour cast on amazon vs the bbc, cars, and being recognized in syria british gq duration. Finally, theres the book of historical documents, another primarily historical work. Washington post book world after reading metcalfs book, its easy to accept his claim that ok is americas greatest word. Platonis opera, cum scholiis a ruhnkenio, collectis ad optimorum. The improbable story of americas greatest word, which cites the telegraphs. I like to discover the origins and evolution of language, and thats exactly what allan metcalfs book ok.
Ok simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Oll korrect synonyms, oll korrect pronunciation, oll korrect translation, english dictionary definition of oll korrect. People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them. Jun 09, 2007 i read in my history book last year that thomas jefferson wanted to abbreviate all correct. This is generally assumed to be an acronym for orl korrect. The entire history of the word is laid out in a book called ok. Ok is frequently used as a loanword in other languages.
Basically, the editor of the piece abbreviated all correct as if it were spelled oll korrect. While ok originated as a joking abbreviation that implied the user was a simpleton, it has evolved and become a word used and understood worldwide. How the word ok was invented 175 years ago smart news. May 05, 20 the public reaction to the book at the time was mixedconfederate general jubal early denounced it as pure fictionbut modern scholars have found some of it to be quite accurate. In response, whig opponents attributed ok, in the sense of oll korrect, to the bad spelling of andrew jackson, van burens predecessor. Martin van buren, old kinderhook, was governor in 1829 and president from 1837 to 1841. Here is a book explaining all this and how ok evolved into the term it is today. Mar 23, 2017 its intended to be a shortening of oll korrect, a comical misspelling of the words all correct. A shortened version of oll korrect, used by president andrew jackson when initialing papers. Ok first appeared as an abbreviation for oll korrect, printed in a. With the release of her book, velazquez may have married for a fourth time and is last documented as living in nevada. His book is based in the thorough scholarship of allen walker read, a columbia professor who for years scoured historical sources for evidence about ok, and published his findings in a series of. He was still a shy nerd who spent what little free time he had reading a book, but he refused to let his world break down around him again.
Ok is an american english word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent. This welcome addition to the museums library is available to visitors to the museum and is used in displays and as part of school visits and summer camp activities. And the book was published in 1974, so this idea is not out of date. In response, whig opponents attributed ok, in the sense of oll korrect, to andrew jacksons bad spelling. Nov 06, 2014 how the word ok was invented 175 years ago. He also discusses the matter briefly in his lacus presidential address, lacus 14. Today i found out what ok stands for, namely oll korrect. Theres even a chapter on folk and false etymologies of ok, of which there are many. Ok is a peculiar word in many ways, all of them evaluated here. Or folksinger pete seegers salute to the linguistic melting pot, all mixed up, which perpetuated the. So it wasnt so surprising for someone come up with o.
Ok is an expression that almost all of us, young or old, rich or poor, sprinkle throughout our sentences all day, every day. Like snafu situation normal all fed up, its believed to be a bantering term of military origin. Subsequent choctaw spelling books deemphasized the spellings lists in. Read then definitively established the source as oll korrect, with an attestation a few months earlier in the same year as the archenemys march, 1839. Indeed, ok became emblematic of a uniquely american attitude, and is one of our most successful global exports. Jul 06, 2018 oll korrect idiomatic, dated all right.
Oll korrect chapter 1 dreamehz new dangan ronpa v3. The public reaction to the book at the time was mixedconfederate general jubal early denounced it as pure fictionbut modern scholars have found some of it to be quite accurate. Then martin van burens presidential campaign popularized it and its brevity proved useful for sending telegraph messages. Like a high school term paper, the contents have been unnaturally stretched to meet a greater length than the subject merits. The origins of ok, i have recently learned, are the subject of considerable debate. As you might expect, this also gave rise to van burens opponents quipping that van burens supporters were all illiterate. Oll korrect definition of oll korrect by the free dictionary. English examined in 100 words linguist david crystal believes every word has a story to tell, even the ones as commonplace as and. Det har blitt foreslatt flere forklaringer til opprinnelsen.
Ok is most likely short for oll korrect, a jokey misspelling of all correct that needs a little historical context to make sense. Nov 30, 2010 the origins of ok, i have recently learned, are the subject of considerable debate. James baldwin, notes of a native son we choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard jfk all the best stories in the world are but one story in reality. Okay ok is a colloquial english word denoting approval, acceptance, assent, or acknowledgment. This welcome addition to the museums library is available to visitors to the museum and is used in displays. Erin mckean, boston globe entertaininga treat for logophiles. In this everchanging subset of printed archives, the oldestearliest documentation i could find was in the brooklyn daily eagle. Oblivious ol shuuichi still doesnt understand that at least half the class adores him. In all its forms, ok is americas most common word, but it has a strange and surprising history as linguist allan metcalf reveals in his new book. Out of that riproaring confrontation came two, new words unsurpassed in vote power.
The complete works 31 books english edition ebooks em. The book of changes and spring and autumn annals, respectively covering divination and history, also come up often. The abbreviation fad and the term ok traveled to newspapers in other cities. Okay is such a short word and the origin of it causes so much dispute. Soon comedians were making initials from misspelled phrases, especially o. Its intended to be a shortening of oll korrect, a comical misspelling of the words all correct. Memes oll korrect bbc music introducing session youtube. Or folksinger pete seegers salute to the linguistic melting pot, all mixed up. But, it was accepted as all correct because of its pronunciation best match is all correct. It began with a boston newspaper fad for abbreviations of common phrases like ng, no go, or gt, gone to texas.
It is a curious fact that the telegraph clerks in england and america employ the letters o. Allen walker read, a playful prospector of the american tongue who hunted down the source of words like dixie and podunk, phrases like the almighty dollar and. Read discusses the debate with some passion in a new yorker profile of sept. With the release of her book, velazquez may have married for a fourth. Ok hardcover allan metcalf oxford university press. During the 1840 election the oll korrect ok merged with martin van burens.
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