[Ads-l] =?utf-8?Q?=E2=80=9Cwolawant=E2=80=9D_?=1734 Oct., antedates OED2 1828- (Bonus: "hurrah"?)
Paul A Johnston, Jr
paul.johnston at WMICH.EDU
Tue Apr 26 16:51:32 UTC 2016
Re /w/ for /v/. It could be Dutch English (the Dutch probably would have had somewthing in between, either the modern Dutch sound or a bilabial fricative; it also could have been localized NYC among English speakers, as by this time, there were plenty of Londoners/SE English people coming in, and they might have had this feature, which persisted in Cockney to the mid 19c., and in the rural SE of England longer than that. Germans and others might have intervened here in the meantime, but I seem to remember my grandmother (born Brooklyn, 1879) using /w/ for /v/ as a joking Brooklynese manner, and a vaudeville song called "Da Winegar Woiks" which sounded like it came from the late 19c. and was sung in Brooklynese. Or it could be from both, and an early sign of NYC speech
----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joel Berson" <berson at ATT.NET>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 12:37:10 PM
> Subject: “wolawant” 1734 Oct., antedates OED2 1828- (Bonus: "hurrah"?)
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Joel Berson <berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=9Cwolawant=E2=80=9D_?=1734 Oct.,
> antedates OED2
> 1828- (Bonus: "hurrah"?)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> (My apologies for the unreadable block of text in the prior
> transmission, p=
> robably mostly due to a dispute between Word, Yahoo email, and the
> ADS-L li=
> stserve over what encoding represents a carriage return/line feed.)
>
> ... that is, =E2=80=9Cvol-au-vent=E2=80=9D, noun.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> They begged and prayed for one year more,=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 but
> it wa=
> s all in vain;No wolawants you=E2=80=99d have, you
> swore;=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=
> =C2=A0 by jove you made it plain:So sent them home to take their
> rest,And h=
> ere=E2=80=99s a health unto the
> best;=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=
> =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 with a fa la la.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> A Song Made Upon the Election of New Magistrates for This City. In a
> broads=
> ide ballad, 1734 [Oct.], printed by John Peter Zenger.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> =E2=80=9Cwolawant=E2=80=9D 1734 Oct., antedates OED2
> =E2=80=9Cvol-au-vent=
> =E2=80=9D 1828--.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> My source is James Alexander, A Brief Narrative of the Case and Trial
> of Jo=
> hn Peter Zenger, Printer of the New York Weekly Journal, edited by
> Stanley =
> Nider Katz (Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University
> Press=
> , 1963), page 110.=C2=A0 Also in Early American Newspapers,
> Evans=C2=A03836=
> (which I have not examined, so I don=E2=80=99t know what the imprint
> is or=
> if it is dated).=C2=A0 Livingston Rutherfurd=E2=80=99s John Peter
> Zenger: =
> His Press, His Trial and a Bibliography of Zenger Imprints (New York,
> Dodd,=
> Mead, 1904), facing page 38, has a photo-reproduction of a single
> side con=
> taining both songs; but the sheet seems to be cut off at the bottom
> and no =
> imprint is visible (Google Books, full view).=C2=A0=20
>
>
> One of two well-known =E2=80=9Cscandalous=E2=80=9D songs printed by
> Zenger =
> to celebrate the victory of the Morrisite party over the supporters
> of New =
> York Governor William Cosby in the election for the New York City
> Common Co=
> uncil on Sept. 29, 1734.=C2=A0 Zenger's broadside was presented to
> the Octo=
> ber 1734 Grand Jury and ordered to be burned.=C2=A0 (Thus we have
> here the =
> indictment, conviction, and punishment of a written document.)=20
>
> This song refers sarcastically to a banquet to honor Gov.Cosby that
> was hel=
> d earlier (in May) by his supporters, and specifically deprecates its
> =E2=
> =80=9Cfeasting=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cusquebaugh and
> beer=E2=80=9D.=C2=A0 Th=
> e association of =E2=80=9Cvol-au-vent=E2=80=9D with the Cosby
> supporters se=
> ems clear: the feast --> vol-au-vent, a puff pastry -->
> =C2=A0=E2=80=9Cpuff=
> =E2=80=9D, n., sense 2, (=E2=80=9Ca puff pastry=E2=80=9D) and sense
> 7, =E2=
> =80=9Ca person regarded as inconsequential=E2=80=9D --> supporters of
> Cosby=
> , now out of office.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> Katz glosses =E2=80=9Cwolawants=E2=80=9D as =E2=80=9Cpresumably
> =E2=80=98fo=
> ps=E2=80=99,=E2=80=9D but I think the connotation of
> =E2=80=9Cpuffs=E2=80=
> =9D is closer.=C2=A0=C2=A0The spelling with w=E2=80=99s instead of
> the Fren=
> ch v=E2=80=99s probably had the happy result of leading the many
> Dutch oppo=
> nents of Cosby in New York City into the correct pronunciation when
> they jo=
> ined in the singing.=C2=A0 Zenger himself was a Palatine German who
> had imm=
> igrated to New York State in 1710, and he had published a number of
> books i=
> n Dutch.=C2=A0 His typeset English was said to be poor, so perhaps he
> simpl=
> y transcribed what he heard into Dutch-English.
> ----------
> Bonus:=C2=A0 Possible "hurrah", int., 1734; interdates OED2 1716
> (earliest)=
> -- 1773.
>
>
> The last verse of the other scandalous song ends with:
>
>
> While they with us resolve to stand=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 for
> liberty and=
> law,We'll drink their healths with hat in
> hand,=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 wh=
> oraa! whoraa! whoraa!
>
> A Song Made Upon the Foregoing Occasion.=C2=A0 Same broadside.=C2=A0
> Same s=
> ources (except for Katz, page 111).
>
>
> I note that the OED's 1716 quotation has "Whurra!" while its 1773 has
> "Hurr=
> ea".
>
>
> Joel
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joel Berson" <berson at ATT.NET>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2016 12:37:10 PM
> Subject: “wolawant” 1734 Oct., antedates OED2 1828- (Bonus: "hurrah"?)
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Joel Berson <berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=9Cwolawant=E2=80=9D_?=1734 Oct.,
> antedates OED2
> 1828- (Bonus: "hurrah"?)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> (My apologies for the unreadable block of text in the prior
> transmission, p=
> robably mostly due to a dispute between Word, Yahoo email, and the
> ADS-L li=
> stserve over what encoding represents a carriage return/line feed.)
>
> ... that is, =E2=80=9Cvol-au-vent=E2=80=9D, noun.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> They begged and prayed for one year more,=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 but
> it wa=
> s all in vain;No wolawants you=E2=80=99d have, you
> swore;=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=
> =C2=A0 by jove you made it plain:So sent them home to take their
> rest,And h=
> ere=E2=80=99s a health unto the
> best;=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=
> =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 with a fa la la.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> A Song Made Upon the Election of New Magistrates for This City. In a
> broads=
> ide ballad, 1734 [Oct.], printed by John Peter Zenger.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> =E2=80=9Cwolawant=E2=80=9D 1734 Oct., antedates OED2
> =E2=80=9Cvol-au-vent=
> =E2=80=9D 1828--.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> My source is James Alexander, A Brief Narrative of the Case and Trial
> of Jo=
> hn Peter Zenger, Printer of the New York Weekly Journal, edited by
> Stanley =
> Nider Katz (Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press of Harvard University
> Press=
> , 1963), page 110.=C2=A0 Also in Early American Newspapers,
> Evans=C2=A03836=
> (which I have not examined, so I don=E2=80=99t know what the imprint
> is or=
> if it is dated).=C2=A0 Livingston Rutherfurd=E2=80=99s John Peter
> Zenger: =
> His Press, His Trial and a Bibliography of Zenger Imprints (New York,
> Dodd,=
> Mead, 1904), facing page 38, has a photo-reproduction of a single
> side con=
> taining both songs; but the sheet seems to be cut off at the bottom
> and no =
> imprint is visible (Google Books, full view).=C2=A0=20
>
>
> One of two well-known =E2=80=9Cscandalous=E2=80=9D songs printed by
> Zenger =
> to celebrate the victory of the Morrisite party over the supporters
> of New =
> York Governor William Cosby in the election for the New York City
> Common Co=
> uncil on Sept. 29, 1734.=C2=A0 Zenger's broadside was presented to
> the Octo=
> ber 1734 Grand Jury and ordered to be burned.=C2=A0 (Thus we have
> here the =
> indictment, conviction, and punishment of a written document.)=20
>
> This song refers sarcastically to a banquet to honor Gov.Cosby that
> was hel=
> d earlier (in May) by his supporters, and specifically deprecates its
> =E2=
> =80=9Cfeasting=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cusquebaugh and
> beer=E2=80=9D.=C2=A0 Th=
> e association of =E2=80=9Cvol-au-vent=E2=80=9D with the Cosby
> supporters se=
> ems clear: the feast --> vol-au-vent, a puff pastry -->
> =C2=A0=E2=80=9Cpuff=
> =E2=80=9D, n., sense 2, (=E2=80=9Ca puff pastry=E2=80=9D) and sense
> 7, =E2=
> =80=9Ca person regarded as inconsequential=E2=80=9D --> supporters of
> Cosby=
> , now out of office.=C2=A0=20
>
>
> Katz glosses =E2=80=9Cwolawants=E2=80=9D as =E2=80=9Cpresumably
> =E2=80=98fo=
> ps=E2=80=99,=E2=80=9D but I think the connotation of
> =E2=80=9Cpuffs=E2=80=
> =9D is closer.=C2=A0=C2=A0The spelling with w=E2=80=99s instead of
> the Fren=
> ch v=E2=80=99s probably had the happy result of leading the many
> Dutch oppo=
> nents of Cosby in New York City into the correct pronunciation when
> they jo=
> ined in the singing.=C2=A0 Zenger himself was a Palatine German who
> had imm=
> igrated to New York State in 1710, and he had published a number of
> books i=
> n Dutch.=C2=A0 His typeset English was said to be poor, so perhaps he
> simpl=
> y transcribed what he heard into Dutch-English.
> ----------
> Bonus:=C2=A0 Possible "hurrah", int., 1734; interdates OED2 1716
> (earliest)=
> -- 1773.
>
>
> The last verse of the other scandalous song ends with:
>
>
> While they with us resolve to stand=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 for
> liberty and=
> law,We'll drink their healths with hat in
> hand,=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 wh=
> oraa! whoraa! whoraa!
>
> A Song Made Upon the Foregoing Occasion.=C2=A0 Same broadside.=C2=A0
> Same s=
> ources (except for Katz, page 111).
>
>
> I note that the OED's 1716 quotation has "Whurra!" while its 1773 has
> "Hurr=
> ea".
>
>
> Joel
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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