Fwd: Re: Fwd: A question

[Sonja L. Lanehart]

>User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5i
>Date:         Thu, 4 Oct 2001 11:45:29 -0400
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>From: Jesse Sheidlower <jester at PANIX.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Fwd: A question
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Status:
>
>On Thu, Oct 04, 2001 at 11:49:20AM -0400, Sonja L. Lanehart wrote:
>  > I thought I'd pass this on in case anyone on the ADS list had a response.
>  >
>  > >X-Authentication-Warning: galileo.cc.rochester.edu: majord set
>  > >sender to owner-linganth at ats.rochester.edu using -f
>  > >User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2106
>  > >Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 11:18:36 -0400
>  > >Subject: A question
>  > >From: Bambi Schieffelin <bs4 at nyu.edu>
>  > >To: <linganth at ats.rochester.edu>
>  > >Sender: owner-linganth at ats.rochester.edu
>  > >Status:
>  > >
>  > >One of my students heard the following, and was wondering if any of it was
>  > >true - any ideas or is this a language myth?
>
>It's an absolute myth. See HDAS, which has extensive examples
>back to 1920 in reference to Haitians, Filipinos, Nicaraguans,
>Italians, etc. It's probably from _goo-goo_ in the same sense,
>from the 1890s (Philippines).
>
>Jesse Sheidlower
>OED
>
>
>  > >
>  > >Gook, a racial slur for Koreans comes from the Korean word for "America".
>  > >Supposedly, when the troops landed in Korean during the Korean war, they
>  > >heard local people saying "mee-gook" (America/USA) and assumed they were
>  > >speaking English.
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >Thanks - Bambi
>  >
>  >
>  > **************************************************************
>  > Sonja L. Lanehart
>  > Department of English                 706-542-2260 (office)
>  > University of Georgia                 706-542-1261 (messages)
>  > 300 Park Hall                         706-542-2181 (fax)
>  > Athens, GA 30602-6205                 lanehart at arches.uga.edu
>  > **************************************************************


**************************************************************
Sonja L. Lanehart
Department of English                 706-542-2260 (office)
University of Georgia                 706-542-1261 (messages)
300 Park Hall                         706-542-2181 (fax)
Athens, GA 30602-6205                 lanehart at arches.uga.edu
**************************************************************