Fwd: Re: Fwd: Mosh pit/slam-dancing, etc.

[Beverly Flanigan]

I'm forwarding this from a Jamaican student of mine (30-ish, a teacher
trainer).  She would say [maS] for 'mash', hence her puzzlement about the
spelling change.  She probably assumes that 'mosh' would have open O.


>Interesting.  Thanks. . . .  As for skanking, I know that came from Bob
>Marley with his song, "Easy Skanking". He died in '82 so the song would
>have been recorded before that. My father was a "rockers" fan and he had
>that record. Skanking is a kind of slow dance somewhat like walking done
>when one is "mellow" or holding a beer.  It is a "rude bwoy's" kind of
>dance.  It is a man thing, solely masculine.  Women don't skank unless
>they are deliberately behaving like men. The origin is definitely rastafarian.
>
>I don't know why  they spell the other word m-o-s-h. I say mash but I am
>ignorant regarding many of those things. I know that dancehall reggae
>singers often say they are going to "mash up the place" (put on an
>outstanding performance).  If they are in the U.S. they might try to
>"speak English" and say "mosh" because they think mash is "patois".  I am
>not an expert at dancehall music. My mother would have wrung my neck if I
>ever went to one of those shows, and as an adult I was never drawn to"mosh
>pits"! It makes for interesting discussion, however.
>
>Ps.  Slamming, I know about! I did that for my semantics course.  It is
>not an original Jamaican thing. I discussed it under metaphors of love in
>reggae music.  I guess the American version is "body slam" which
>is  forceful contact, almost sexual, between two persons (when
>dancing...).  If they want quotes they can go to Lady Saw's "songs".  She
>is the queen of lewdness!
>
>michelle