"fellow" = "A black man"

Tue Apr 5 17:46:48 UTC 2011

Might your analysis of advertisements merely reflect the fact that black men
were being advertised for sale, and white men weren't?

DanG

On Tue, Apr 5, 2011 at 1:11 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Re: "fellow" = "A black man"
>
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>
> At 4/4/2011 05:33 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:
> >Why would "fellow" in these examples be defined as anything more than a
> >euphemism for "man" or "person", especially when it is taking modifiers
> such
> >as "Mulatto" or "Negro"?
>
> I think my previous message also answers Dan's question.  In EAN,
> there is just one advertisement (over its 130-plus-year time span)
> where "fellow" takes the modifier "white".  There are thousands where
> it takes the modifier "Negro", "mulatto", or "black".  (Admittedly,
> when no modifier/description was present, the presumption was
> "white", so "fellow" without a modifier would refer to a white -- but
> necessarily of the unesteemed lower classes (see OED, 10 a, b, c): a
> white of the middling classes was a "man" or a "woman".)
>
> (For "white fellow", I have -- I think properly -- excluded
> quotations where "fellow" is itself a modifier, as in "white fellow
> citizens".  These are instances (as the OED says) of "attrib. and
> Comb. C1. appositively (quasi-adj.)", specifically "c. (with n. of
> relative signification.) Denoting a person or thing that stands in
> the designated relation to the same object as another; Also
> <http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/69097#eid4596719>fellow-citizen n.".)
>
> A little more research in EAN -- advertisements with:
>      British fellow  --   0
>      English fellow --   0 (eliminating the 1 false positive)
>      Irish fellow     --   1 (eliminating the 2 false positives;
> more frequent is "Irishman" -- 1,340 hits)
>      yellow fellow  --   I did not attempt to count among the 278
> hits.  Some persons are called a "Negro" and then physically
> described as a "yellow fellow".  "Brown fellow" also appears (but in
> only one ad, 5 appearances) to describe skin color.
>
> Joel
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >DanG
> >
> >On Mon, Apr 4, 2011 at 5:13 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:      "fellow" = "A black man"; also "secesh' noun & adj. 1862;
> and
> > >              "nub" 1728
> > >
> > >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >
> > > The 1989 OED's earliest citation for "fellow" = "A black man. U.S.
> > > Obs." (sense 10.d) is from a 1753 advertisement:  "Run away a Mulatto
> > > Fellow named Anthony. Whoever takes up said Fellow shall have Three
> > > Pounds Reward."
> > >
> > > There are many citations in Early American Newspapers, both earlier
> > > than 1753 and near the 1860 date of the OED's only other quotation,
> > > from Bartlett's Dictionary of Americanisms.
> > >
> > > 1)  The earliest (EAN Search finds) is:
> > >
> > > 1716 -- Boston News-Letter; Date: From Monday November 12, to Monday
> > > November 19, 1716; Issue: 657; Page: [2]; Col. 2.
> > >
> > > A Likely young Negro Fellow, who has been Five Years in the Country,
> > > to be Sold ... and to be seen at Mr. Robert Howard Merchant, his
> > > House in Clark's Square Boston.
> > >
> > >
> > > 2)  The following, like the OED quotation, uses both "Negro fellow"
> > > and "fellow" unqualified:
> > >
> > > 1728 -- New-England Weekly Journal [Boston]; Date: 12-09-1728; Issue:
> > > XC; Page: [4]; Col. 2.
> > >
> > > Ran-away ... a Negro Fellow named Primus, about 25 years of Age, a
> > > tall likely Fellow, speaks good English, & can read well, has a Scar
> > > on his right Cheek & a nub on the second joynt of his Thumbs.
> > >
> > > [Scar on right cheek and nub (OED 2.a. "A small knob or lump"?  Or
> > > perhaps more likely 2.b. "A stump, stub, or remnant; something cut
> > > off short or imperfectly grown", although this sense is dated from
> > > a1834?) on both thumbs -- perhaps signs of mutilation for past
> > > transgressions?]
> > >
> > >
> > > 3)  "Mulatto Fellow" appears earliest in:
> > >
> > > 1733 -- American Weekly Mercury [Philadelphia]; Date: From Thursday,
> > > July 5, to Thursday July 12, 1733; Issue: 706; Page: [4].
> > >
> > > RUN away ... from the Plantation of William Byrd, Esq; at the Falls
> > > of James River, in Virginia, a Mulatto Fellow ... Whoever shall
> > > return him ether to the said William Byrd, Esq; at Westover aforesaid
> > > or to his Overseer, Mr. George Booker, at the Falls of James River,
> > > shall have Ten Pounds Reward, and reasonable Charges.
> > >
> > >
> > > 4)  "negro fellow" appears latest in:
> > >
> > > New-Hampshire Patriot [Concord]; Date: 12-09-1839; Volume: VI; Issue:
> > > 271; Page: [2].
> > >
> > > Horrid Murder.---As one of our citizens, Mr. Fullenwider, on Tuesday,
> > > was at his plantation, at the High Shoals of the Catawba, he noticed
> > > a negro fellow on a horse, fording the river. ... Loncolnton N.C.
> Banner.
> > >
> > > {Our "citizen" is a Mister; our "negro" is a fellow, later in the
> > > article referred to only as "Abner".]
> > >
> > >
> > > 5)  "mulatto fellow" appears latest in:
> > >
> > > Barre [Massachusetts] Gazette; Date: 05-09-1862; Volume: 28; Issue:
> > > 42; Page: [1];
> > >
> > > Let me kiss him for his mother---A secesh anecdote.---As the last of
> > > the rebel prisoners were entering the jail on Tuesday, a big mulatto
> > > fellow from a neighboring slaughter house, who was making his way
> > > through the crowd of spectators, was somewhat jostled in the
> undertaking.
> > >
> > > [This fellow is later in the article referred to only as a
> > > "darkey".  For those curious, "secesh" (here A.b, "Secession",
> > > equidates the OED's earliest quotation.  Later the article refers to
> > > "The secesh dame", which is one year later than the OED's earliest
> > > quote for "secesh" as an adj.]
> > >
> > > Joel
> > >
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