"Amerika"

[Marc Sacks]

Dave Wilton's comments make sense to me. But this discussion has also
gotten me thinking spelling "Afrika" sometimes encountered in the writings
of black militants. This must have a different origin, but I can't imagine
what it is. A German allusion here doesn't make much sense. Greek maybe?
Does anyone know?

Marc Sacks
msacks at theworld.com

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dave Wilton <dave at WILTON.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "Amerika"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I would agree. I think that "Amerika" is more inspired by the German
> spelling and is an evocation of fascism--and I don't think the 1927 Kafka
> novel is especially relevant. (I haven't read it, but my understanding is
> that it is not about totalitarianism, rather about a European youth's
> travels in the US.)
>
> But I also think you're taking Safire out of context. He is specifically
> referring to the spelling in a Hip Hop context. In the midst of several
> paragraphs about African American language, Safire writes:
>
> "Back in the day, the substitution of k for c in the word America -
> writing
> it as Amerika or Amerikkka - was a coded evocation of the Ku Klux Klan.
> Hip-hop style today deliberately defies spelling rules, especially
> ingrained
> irregularities."
>
> In this narrower context, he may be correct in thinking that the Klan is
> the
> more proximate inspiration.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
> Of
> Wilson Gray
> Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2007 7:34 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: "Amerika"
>
> I don't know -  in the literal sense; I'm not trying to say politely
> that you're wrong - about  Kafka being the ultimate origin, but I
> agree, otherwise.
>
> -Wilson
>
> On 5/20/07, Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at yale.edu> wrote:
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>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
>> Subject:      "Amerika"
>>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
>>
>> In today's N.Y. Times "On Language" column, William Safire derives the
>> satirical spelling _Amerika_ from the K in Ku Klux Klan.  While that
>> derivation is obviously true of the spelling _Amerikkka_, I always
>> thought
>> that _Amerika_ derived from the German spelling and probably was
>> specifically inspired by a Kafka book title.
>>
>> Fred Shapiro
>>
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Fred R. Shapiro                             Editor
>> Associate Librarian for Collections and     YALE BOOK OF QUOTATIONS
>>    Access and Lecturer in Legal Research     Yale University Press
>> Yale Law School                             ISBN 0300107986
>> e-mail: fred.shapiro at yale.edu
>> http://quotationdictionary.com
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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