Buckaroo: supposed African origin

[Salikoko S. Mufwene]

At 05:22 PM 3/13/2003 -0600, you wrote:

>"*buckra -- 'white man,' esp. a 'poor or mean white man' (now rare in
>U.S., but still current in black Jamaican English);  hence also
>buckaroo, bucker ('cowboy' -- convergence with Spanish vaquero,
>'cowboy'; used derisively by black cowboys?) . Cf. Efik mbakara,
>'white man,' and related forms in a number of languages of
>southeastern Nigeria and southern Cameroon."
      This etymology raises a number of interesting problems, one of which
is whether the word was borrowed into Gullah after this variety was already
formed. This possibility would explain why the word-initial NC sequence has
lost the nasal... to make it more consistent with the English-like
phonology of Gullah. Then another question arises: what word was used
earlier for the same meaning, and why would "buckra" lose ground again to
"white (man)" later on? (Or, the etymology is correct, "buckra" never fully
replaced "white"...) The change of vowels in the other syllables (both in
Gullah and in English) is also curious. (In the case of Gullah, it is easy
to explain if the word came as a borrowing into a basically English
variety.) I have no problem with a convergence/congruence kind of
explanation, but I have had reservations about an exclusive African
etymology. One of the reasons is lack of historical documentation for
assuming a critical mass of Efik speakers either in South Carolina or in
Jamaica at the time of the development of their "creoles." Nothing places
them as part of the founder population either. However, there was a
presence of Spaniards in both places before the English took over (in the
mid-17th century in the case of Jamaica and in the late 17th century in the
case of SC).

Sali.