• Submit A Nut
KnowledgeNuts
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • Facts
  • Finance
  • Misconceptions
  • Differences
  • Bizarre
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Facts
  • Finance
  • Misconceptions
  • Differences
  • Bizarre
  • Other
No Result
View All Result
KnowledgeNuts
No Result
View All Result
Home Misconceptions

The Grammatically Incorrect Origins Of ‘OK’

The Grammatically Incorrect Origins Of ‘OK’
195
SHARES
1.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
“If Shakespeare required a word and had not met it in civilised discourse, he unhesitatingly made it up.” —Anthony Burgess

In A Nutshell

We say it all the time, but until Allen Walker Read, we had no idea where “OK” came from. There were plenty of claims, from a French village known for its rum all the way to army biscuits and German ranks and titles. But Read determined that it was from a rather unlikely source, first used in the Boston Morning Post to mean “Oll Korrect,” combining two fads of the day: initials and misspellings.

The Whole Bushel

Related articles

80 Percent Of All Medical Studies Are Lies

80 Percent Of All Medical Studies Are Lies

May 3, 2023
The Great Wall of China Isn’t Visible from Space

The Great Wall of China Isn’t Visible from Space

April 27, 2023

You use it all the time, honestly or sarcastically, probably without even thinking twice about what a powerful statement it really is.

“OK.”

ADVERTISEMENT

It’s two little letters that give away your complete agreement with whatever’s being discussed. Or, if you say it another way, it’s the exact opposite of that. The origins of “OK” have stumped linguists for years.

For a long time, it was widely assumed it was a US invention, simply because, well, what else would it be, you unpatriotic heathen?

But during World War II, Americans came into pretty close contact with other nations on their soil, and they found it wasn’t just an American thing after all. There were even rumors that it was commonly used by Bedouins roaming the Sahara Desert. Pretty soon, everyone was staking their claim that they were the ones that started it.

The French said it came from Aux Caynes, a town famous for its rum. The Germans said it was a reference to a rank, Oberst Kommandant, and the British said they’d had it centuries before that. Etymologists engaged in what amounted to a linguistic shoving match, with everyone wanting to credit their nation with “OK.”

US scholar Allen Walker Read had already had a long career in tracing the evolution of language when he turned to the “OK” question. He found the first use of the word “Dixie” in a minstrel show and gave Washington Irving credit for coining the phrase “the almighty dollar.” “Podunk,” he found, was a Native American term that was used for swampy lands, and he went on record with a powerful statement, saying, “There is no single, monolithic ‘correct English.’ There is nothing inherent or intrinsic that makes language ‘correct.’ ”

Article Continued Below

He was fascinated with the way language evolved, and he also discovered the likely origins of “OK.”

He found the absolute earliest use of the term in an issue of the Boston Morning Post dating from 1839. The source was a satirical article on spelling, and the term it was derived from was “Oll Korrect.” The use of initials and bad spelling were both popular at the time.

Other initials, had they caught on, might have been as widespread as “OK” is today. “KY,” for example, was popularly used to mean something was of “no use,” (in its misspelled form of “know yuse”), but it apparently didn’t have the same ring as “OK.”

Read debunked the idea that “OK” came from an army biscuit, or Andrew Jackson’s misspellings, or some obscure, Elizabethan term, but that wasn’t his only contribution to the study of language. His work is a fascinating look at how language and names have evolved over the centuries. (He also discovered that the Rocky Mountains were once called the Northern Andes.)

He even wrote the most ultimately meta of all definitions: the Encyclopedia Britannica’s entry on the word “dictionary.”

Show Me The Proof

The Economist: Allen Read
NY Times: Allen Read, the Expert of ‘O.K.,’ Dies at 96
“Is American English Deteriorating?” by Allen Walker Read

Post Views: 1,058
Share78Tweet49
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

80 Percent Of All Medical Studies Are Lies

80 Percent Of All Medical Studies Are Lies

by M.Admin
May 3, 2023
1332

Somewhere around 80 percent of all medical research---the studies that determine what’s good for us and what new drugs are...

The Great Wall of China Isn’t Visible from Space

The Great Wall of China Isn’t Visible from Space

by knowledgenuts
April 27, 2023
7913

Contrary to popular belief that the Great Wall of China is the only man made structure that can be seen...

The Speed of Light is Not Constant

The Speed of Light is Not Constant

by knowledgenuts
April 18, 2023
9393

Most believe that the speed of light is constant and unchanging, but it simply isn’t the case. The speed depends...

Sir Walter Raleigh: To Cloak or Not To Cloak

Sir Walter Raleigh: To Cloak or Not To Cloak

by knowledgenuts
April 5, 2023
1802

Taking the air one day in London, Walter Raleigh saw Queen Elizabeth I in danger of stepping in a mud...

Superstitions Behind Cutting Baby Hair

Superstitions Behind Cutting Baby Hair

by Knowledge Nuts
March 31, 2023
0

With a new bundle of joy comes plenty of choices to make about their care. A baby's first haircut is...

Load More
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

Breaking Barriers: The Link Between Women’s Financial Success

Breaking Barriers: The Link Between Women’s Financial Success

September 27, 2023
Memorable Family Moments on a Budget

Memorable Family Moments on a Budget

September 26, 2023
Loan Approval 101: Best Practices for Getting Your Loan Approved

Loan Approval 101: Best Practices for Getting Your Loan Approved

September 26, 2023

KnowledgeNuts.com: Your go-to source for insightful information and financial guidance. Explore, learn, and empower your future with us.

Categories
  • Artist
  • Artwork
  • Attitude
  • Bizarre
  • Business
  • Creative Insight
  • Design
  • Differences
  • Facts
  • Finance
  • Forgotten
  • Forgotten Horrors
  • Innovation
  • Inspiration
  • Learning
  • Listicles
  • Market
  • Misconceptions
  • Other
  • Personal Finance Tips
  • Places
  • Thinking
  • Uncategorized
Tags
aid bad credit Business car insurance cash flow credit debt difference disability Education family Finance finances Financial Aid Financial freedom food government assistance Health healthcare help history home home loans housing how to make money how to save insurance Invest jobs loan loans make money Misconceptions Money myths personal finance plan quick cash saving money savings side hustle side hustles student student aid taxes
Lost your password?
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Mobile Privacy Policy
  • Mobile Terms & Conditions
  • SMS Opt-in

© KnowledgeNuts.com – A Division of Media Comms Networking.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Facts
  • Misconceptions
  • Differences
  • Finance
  • Bizarre

© 2023 KnowledgeNuts.com