Jass 1913

[Stephen Goranson]

Thanks. The proposed reading of "Jass!" here (in this brief article also including "rag-time") as a rare variant of "yes"  admittedly is a plausible possibility. But is it the only possibility? Do we have enough data? Is, e.g., the "curious" claim a real quote from an earlier Columbia State? Is "Jass" as "nonsense" possible here ("how long down the man higher up is")?
Also in 1913 [6 Mar S F Bulletin]: "The team which speeded into town this morning comes pretty close to representing the pick of the army. Its members have trained on ragtime and 'jazz'." Are "ragtime" and "jazz" used here in musical senses?  If yes, why the claim that musical "jazz" is first attested later in Chicago? And if not musical? I don't have the full context: is this army [this team, then] good or bad? OED ragtime 2 slang presents ragtime armies as "disorderly, disreputable." Is that relevant? Also OED ragtime 2 slang gives "[1913    Flight 12 Apr. 416/1   A pilot who flies unsteadily is a ‘rag-timer’.]" [[[[Unsteady flight--a little bit like a 1912 [jazz/jass] pitch claimed to "wobble"?]]]]

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson
________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Cohen, Gerald Leonard [gcohen at MST.EDU]
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2011 6:14 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: [ADS-L] Jass 1913

Buried in my "jazz" notes is a frame in an early 20th century cartoon (pre-1913, IIRC), with "jass" apparently meaning "yes." (Thanks to Barry Popik for sending it to me).  This "jass" is spoken by someone not natively American (in the Katzenjammer Kids?), and I assumed that it is somehow a cross between Geman "ja" and English "yes."  I'll try to locate it when I have time.
      At least until now I didn't attribute any importance to it and therefore didn't bother to include it in my
Comments on Etymology items on the origin of the term "jazz." IAC, I believe Ben is right to reject
"jass" below as referring to music.
----G. Cohen

Ben Zimmer wrote (Mon 3/21/2011 12:30 PM):

And now that I check the page image, I don't think the context was
ragtime at all. The item titled "Agreed" occurs far down in the
column, nowhere near the earlier items on sheet music. So there's
nothing suggesting this has anything to do with music -- just a
"yes"/"yas" variant in all likelihood.


On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 8:36 AM, Ben Zimmer wrote:
>
> Not sure if this has anything to do with jazzy "jass" (despite the
> ragtime context) -- perhaps just a variant of "yes" (cf. "yas",
> "yassuh")?
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 6:08 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
> >
> > America's Historical Newspapers
> > The State; Date: 01-03-1913; Issue: 7747; Page: 4, col. 6-7; Location: Columbia, South Carolina
> > Headline: Answering Back
> >
> >       "Sheet Music"
> > Greensboro News
> >  "Sheet music--snores," says the Columbia State. Aw, rag-time.
> >
> > Memphis Commercial Appeal
> >  The Columbia (S.C.) State spreads itself to say "Sheet music--snores." Which sounds like a wet blanket on harmony.
> > ....
> >       Agreed.
> > Greensboro News
> >  The Columbia State thinks it's curious how long down the man higher up usually is. Jass!

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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