What is the origin of the word 'OK'?
There have been numerous attempts to explain the
emergence
of this expression, which seems to have swept into popular use in the
US during the mid-19th century. Most of them are pure speculation. It
does not seem at all likely, from the linguistic and historical
evidence, that it comes from the Scots expression
och aye, the Greek
ola kala ('it is good'), the Choctaw Indian
oke or
okeh ('it is so'), the French
aux Cayes ('from Cayes', a port in Haiti with a reputation for good rum) or
au quai
('to the quay', as supposedly used by French-speaking dockers), or the
initials of a railway freight agent called Obediah Kelly who is said to
have written them on documents he had checked.
A more likely explanation is that the term originated as an abbreviation of
orl korrekt , a jokey misspelling of 'all correct' which was current in the US in the 1830s. The oldest written
references
result from its use as a slogan by the Democratic party during the
American Presidential election of 1840. Their candidate, President
Martin Van Buren, was nicknamed 'Old Kinderhook' (after his birthplace
in New York State), and his supporters formed the 'OK Club'. This
undoubtedly helped to
popularize the term (though it did not get President Van Buren re-elected).
The only other theory with at least a degree of
plausibility
is that the term originated among Black slaves of West African origin,
and represents a word meaning 'all right, yes indeed' in various West
African languages. Unfortunately, historical evidence enabling the
origin of this expression to be finally and firmly established may be
hard to unearth.
Some other interesting articles to read about the issue:
And now what is your personal opinion? Do you know any other story?
Have a look at the comment made by Elena (1º ESO A) as it is most interesting:
OK, O.K. or okay is a fascinating word or abbreviation. Its true origin
has gradually been forgotten. It could go back as far as the Romans. It
has been suggested that it came from the Latin 'Omnis Korrecta' which
means 'all correct'. It was used widely by schoolmasters marking
examination papers, but it could also come from the Old English 'Hogfor'
meaning 'seaworthy' and pronounce as ''hay gay'' by the vikings.
Its
use has been so widely accepted that even the American president Barack
Obama used it when speaking to some school children in 2009. He was
heard to say, "That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the
world are the ones who've had the most failures."
It is
interesting to note that in this sentence the word 'ok' means 'don't
worry' and one of its most appealing features is that it can mean many
different things. It sometimes means 'correct', at other times it can
express agreement and it can be used as an exclamation or a question. It
even has opposite meanings; the sentence 'It is okay' could mean 'good'
or 'mediocre', it depends on the tone of voice.
It's usually
used as an adjective but in America it can now be used as a verb or a
noun. "The boss okayed the purchase," and, "The boss gave his okay to
the purchase." However, my English teacher says that the use of 'ok' in
conversation is acceptable, but it should never be used in formal
writing and making it into a noun or a verb is completely unacceptable
and typical of the Americans; but then she is from Britain!
The advantages of being able to speak several languages are so many. You are never afraid to travel because you can make yourself understood wherever you go and you can understand people and at the same time be more open and learn about other cultures. If you are student, apart from being most useful for your Curriculum Vitae, it enables you to read any bibliography and later it is so much easier to find a job. Therefore, the advantages are countless.
4 BENEFITS OF BEING A POLYGLOT (Seekapor.com, an educational companion)
