new website about Pittsburgh speech

[Laurence Horn]

At 12:45 AM -0400 6/29/02, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:
>>From this Web-site (http://english.cmu.edu/pittsburghspeech/):
>
><<Many words that are in widespread use throughout the U.S. have
>African-American origins. "Jazz" is one example.>>
>
>I believe the example is false, or at least not verifiable.

My impression, based on Barry's, Jerry's, and others' posts here over
the last few years, is that "false" is closer than just "not
verifiable", given the San Francisco baseball connection established
by them.  Nevertheless, as Allen Walker Read would put it, the
TRAJECTORY, if not the ORIGIN, of the word has rich African-American
(though not directly African) inspiration.  He stresses the dangers
of oversimpifying the notion of etymology, and that line is
especially relevant to such a rich domain.  (Didn't we choose "jazz"
as WOTC?)

larry