part 3, "Murphy's Law" antedating 1943

[Joel S. Berson]

At 10/9/2009 06:06 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>I guess I'll have to get a copy of the book also.
>
>I'd argue that if Sabel took care to explain "GI," which everybody was
>familiar with in 1999, he might just as easily have footnoted "Murphy's
>Law," saying something like, "We used this phrase a lot, but it didn't
>became famous for forty years."
>
>Am still suspicious - about Bond's "dune buggy" too.

So who's going to enquire of the family whether the manuscript
letters are accessible?

Joel


>JL
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>On Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 5:04 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: part 3, "Murphy's Law" antedating 1943
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > 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
> > >
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> >
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> >
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>
>
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>Platypus"
>
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