Talk:Okay
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This phrase has a facsinating etymology,history, legal history and ties to American History. This Canadian who would love to see an American write this non-controversial article. User:Two16
- "Non-controversial"? No, no. Everything in the Wikipedia is controversial! ;) I don't think the "Oll Korrect" initialism theory is universally accepted. I've heard one theory that the word "okay" came from an African language, and was introduced into America by slaves. I have no idea if this is based on hard evidence, but since I did read it somewhere, I thought I'd bring it up. Now, if I could only remember which book I read it in... -- Oliver P. 10:18 27 May 2003 (UTC)
- I've heard the same theory, but also lack an attributable source. Someone with a good etymological dictionary like the OED (I don't have one) ought to see what they have to say. Jmabel 11:40, 24 Dec 2003 (UTC)
- I've added the African origin claim, along with a source link to a Wiki entry almost completely dedicated to that discussion. -- Prell 23:14, 11 Mar 2004 (UTC)
Why does "OK" redirect to "Okay," when the article seems to prefer "OK" in usage? Shouldn't it be the other way around? User:Xanzzibar
"The US president Jackson also wrote it in 1760 and a Boston businessman used it in a daily journal in 1815." Some citation or explanation, please, this doesn't seem to jive with the espoused etymology. Kevin Saff 22:40, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)
Also the m-w link looks broken. Kevin Saff 22:46, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)
This article is far too definitive in accepting the theory that OK is derived from the initials of some other phrase. The article implies that Read was the last word on the subject; it relegates other views to the category of "competing theories"; it says "supposedly" about the existence of the Choctaw word, which as far as I know is undisputed, regardless of whether the Choctaw "okeh" was the source of our current expression. Jackson didn't use the expression in 1760, he not having been born yet, but the Boston businessman's use in 1815 is documented. One scholar writes: "The traveler's name was Richardson, and the 'Richardson OK' occurs in the entry for February 21, 1815. That entry includes this sentence 'Arrived at Princeton, a handsome little village, 15 miles from N Brunswick, ok & at Trenton, where we dined at 1 P.M.'" (Fay paper (http://www.prairienet.org/prairienations/ok.htm) - a lengthy rebuttal of Read, arguing in favor of the Choctaw origin). Kevin Saff is correct that this evidence doesn't jibe with the espoused etymology. If Read's view nevertheless still has adherents, perhaps the article should be recast (including new headlines) to present the various theories on an equal footing, without endorsing any one of them. I'm not familiar enough with Wikipedia to know whether the NPOV ideal applies to subjects like this one. JamesMLane 14:54, 8 Mar 2004 (UTC)
- Thanks, James, your explanation seems more likely to me. Could you flesh out the Choctaw origins a bit more in the article? I don't know how many people support Read's view over the Choctaw etymology. -Kevin Saff 22:32, 11 Mar 2004 (UTC)
I have noticed that this word is in common usage outside of the U.S. Is that from widespread American influence or because the word has a common influence from somewhere else(e.g. African Slaves)?--Pete Welch 04:22, 28 Oct 2004 (UTC)
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Too much Simpsons
There are too many Simpsons references throughout Wikipedia. Does this article really need to mention Ned Flanders? Taco Deposit 02:17, Jul 7, 2004 (UTC)
- This is only one reference, and it's reasonably related to the subject of the article. I don't think any de-Simpsonizing is needed here. JamesMLane 03:36, 7 Jul 2004 (UTC)
More on the History of OK
H.L. Mencken, The American Language, abridged edition, ed. Raven I. McDavid Jr. with David W. Maurer (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977), pp. 169-175, contains a brief history of the origin of this Americanism (agreeing with this article that it originated in Boston), with a list of 10 alternative etymologies. (One etymologist traced it to the French "O qu-oui"; those darned Frenchmen have a word for everything!) It also lists A. W. Reed's publications on ths word. A source worth mining for this article if for no other reason than to mention Martin van Buren's O.K. Club. -- llywrch 05:15, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)
Current usage around the world?
The etymology has been done to death, here and other places. I'd love to see more information in this article about current usage of OK around the world in other languages. I understand that it is quite common (though it seems to rarely take on all the meanings that it has in English), but I haven't been able to find much information about it in a brief search. Perhaps people from non-English speaking countries could relate their first-hand experience? I think it is fascinating that a single word invented so recently could fill a gap missing in so many world languages. --Anon (haven't yet got around to registering) 06:30, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
- Hi, I'm from the Netherlands (it's inbetween England and Germany) and I can tell you that pretty much every European uses the 'word' OK.
Correct spelling
I deleted the bit about the "correct" spelling, as it's a dubious claim at best to my eyes. Dictionaries recognize both equally, and "okay" is usually listed as an alternate spelling to OK. --Xanzzibar 02:21, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
- I agree, although it's probably more a matter for a style manual. Of three style manuals I looked at, one said "OK, never O.K. or okay", one said "O.K., not OK or okay" and the third preferred "okay." Shoaler 11:43, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)
But what is Ok corral? -- Kizor 00:58, 25 May 2005 (UTC)
- Are you referring to The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral? --Xanzzibar 03:43, 25 May 2005 (UTC)
- Apparently. --Kizor 06:08, 25 May 2005 (UTC)
"Okely dokely"
Provide proof that this is in wide usage. It's fine to mention it in the Ned Flanders article if you really must, but it is of no broader relevance. Grace Note 01:39, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)