Fwd: ISHT

[Arnold M. Zwicky]

catching up on old things...

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Edwin H. Rodriguez" <edwinr at stanford.edu>
> Date: March 13, 2005 12:39:30 AM PST
> To: "Arnold M. Zwicky" <zwicky at csli.stanford.edu>
> Subject: Re: ISHT
>
> i might have found the origin. though the source (urbandictionary.com)
> may not be reputable in the academic field, it may serve as a starting
> point for later projects.
>
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ish&r=f
> http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=isht&r=f
>
> 1. Slang term often used to replace "shit." Derived from the process
> of editing the vocals of rap-songs by revershing the curse words so
> said song could be played on radio or television.
> "That's the dope ish"
>
> my hypothesis is that we starting using it in speech after having
> heard on the radio. then we stopped saying it (for no particular
> reason). now, with the advent of search engines, it's made a
> comeback--and is being used in speech among my peers again.

and now i can report it , in the spelling "ishhh", from our very own
[our = stanford *and* ADS]...

Alim, H. Samy. 2004. You know my steez: An ethnographic and
sociolinguistic study of styleshifting in a Black American speech
community. PADS 89.

p. xxviii (acknowledgments chapter):  You know I couldn'ta did this
ishhh without madd people helping me along the way.

p. xxx (ditto): Thanks for all the support, Bruddaman, and for pushin
me to do some high quality ishhh.

p. 5:  ...Sunnyside, which, like many low-income communities in the
United States, regularly experiences a 65% high-school dropout rate
(that ishhh just ain't right).

[there are probably more.]

arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)