part 3, "Murphy's Law" antedating 1943

[Joel S. Berson]

At 10/9/2009 08:37 AM, Stephen Goranson wrote:
>Thanks to all who commented on or offlist.
>I have the book with the 1943 letter. I find nothing anachronistic.
>Sabel added some footnotes;

'Tis true -- having gone to "my" university library yesterday for
completely different reasons, but being curious about Sabel's book.

There is an interesting footnote on page 20.  Sabel's letter of June
21, 1941, has "It ["supper at a fancy restaurant" -- oh for the good
old days of WW II] cost seventy-five cents apiece but was worth it to
get a good meal for once that wasn't GI.*"

The footnote is "* Government Issue." [P.S.:  OED has G.I. from
American Speech in 1936 and 1940; next cite is 1942.]

On the one hand, if Sabel (I don't see any editor credited) took care
to explain "GI" in a footnote, one might think that "Murphy's law"
was actually in his letter.

On the other hand, would a G.I.write in a letter "seventy-five cents"
rather than "75 cents" or perhaps "$.75"?

For whatever it's worth, I note while flipping pages that I estimate
99.9% of the letters as printed have no salutation.  (Occasionally
there is one to, or to be forwarded to, a brother; perhaps there some
other salutations.)  Were the letters all to his mother?  Possibly;
his dedication to his mother says "Without her farsightedness in
saving these letters ...".

Joel

>as far as I can tell, the rest is plain transcribed
>letter text, straightforward midwest farmer draftee meat and potatoes
>descriptive prose. I consider the 1943 use of "Murphy's Law" reliable. OK,
>98.99% so. I can see how the added, mistaken 1944-1945 diary uses could have
>led JL to doubt the dispersion pattern. But someone knew the term before 1949;
>Sabel apparently was such a one.
>
>Out of abundance of caution and skepticism-honoring, I emailed the
>author; that bounced. I sent snail mail. If Ben or Fred or Jesse or anyone
>wishes to call him or his family, fine with me.
>
>I make no strong claim here about the origin of "Murphy's Law," other than its
>existence in 1943.
>
>As to Jon's example of a suspect early "dune-buggy." I don't deny that late
>unannounced editing of diaries does sometimes happen. I don't have that book.
>If that term were the only seeming anomaly, then I would think twice before
>dismissing the possibility that that term was invented more than once.
>
>Anyway, good luck for all y'all's research.
>
>Stephen Goranson
>http://www.duke.edu/~goranson
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org