"Guinea" etymology

[Joel S. Berson]

Oops!  My blunder.  Perhaps from not thinking that Guinea hens would
"live" somewhere, or stay up late at night.  Or remembering Brer Fox,
who would be interested in the hen-house.

However, the other "Guinea" not as an adjective is genuine (unless birds talk):
      "Helvington: a dramatic story in five acts" (Memphis: Bulletin
Pub. Co., 1867), page 10:
      "NED W.  Oh, that is old Crow. He's a Guinea negro. MRS. S. How
interesting! A Guinea? Do introduce me, I wish
to converse with him."

Joel

At 5/3/2010 03:14 AM, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:
>Joel S. Berson wrote:
>>....
>>
>>For "Guineas live", there is Joel Chandler Harris's "Daddy Jake the
>>runaway: and short stories told after dark" N.Y: The Century Co.,
>>1896), in a story titled "Why the Guineas Stay Awake", page 120:
>>       "Yit, soon er late , w'en he got ter whar de guineas live at,
>>he foun' um all soun' asleep. ..."
>--
>
>I reckon these guineas are birds.
>
>-- Doug Wilson
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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