square from Delaware (1939)

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 12:21 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> So, the "lame" of my youth - and of today, for that matter - may be a
> hypercorrection of "lane," once clipping severed it from Spokane, its
> partner in rhyme.

I don't think that's the order that the illustrious Mr. Lighter is
suggesting. I quoted HDAS in the other thread:

> This is further underscored by the variant spelling of "lane" as
> "lain". In fact, that's the earliest attested spelling -- HDAS has
> 1933 and 1936 cites, predating the "Spokane" elaboration. HDAS also
> speculates that it represents "a Black E. pronun. of 'lame' with
> strongly nasalized vowel and consequent obscuration of following
> consonant, but attested prior to corresponding sense of 'lame.'"

So the conjecture is that "lame" came first (even though the relevant
sense doesn't show up in print till later), modified to "lain"/"lane"
(attested from 1933), which then gets put into the "Spokane" rhyme
c1939.

> As for Spokane, it may very well have purposely been made to rhyme
> with cane instead of with can, so that it would also rhyme with lane.
> You'd probably have had to be there, to know for sure.

Could be!


--Ben Zimmer

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