nyaa nyaa/ naa naa (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Mullins, Bill AMRDEC]

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

To me, the taunt has 6 naa/nyah's, not five (Naa-na naa naa NAA naa).
And either Naa or Nyah would have been acceptable when I was in school.
A good friend of my wife, who grew up on the Florida panhandle, doesn't
say that, but rather "neener neener neener" with the same sing-song
cadence.

Besides the "The Band" song, another cultural referent may be the tail
end of the Journey song "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" (see 3:40 at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRt0d1O4tiE ).

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
Behalf Of
> Jonathan Lighter
> Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 6:55 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: nyaa nyaa/ naa naa
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
----------------------
> -
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      nyaa nyaa/ naa naa
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
> -
>
> A while ago I indirectly called attention to the stereotyped childhood
> taunt melody, "Nyaa nyaa nyah  NYAA nyaa!"
>
> I suggested ironically that that's what "all the people were singin'"
> on "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
>
> Even though the lyrics there are clearly "Na na na na na na," etc.
>
> OK. Twice in the past couple of weeks CNN news anchor Soledad O'Brien
> (b. 1966) has had occasion to do the taunt. But what she said clearly
> both times was "Naa naa naa NAA naa!" (No /j /).
>
> To me (b. Neolithic) this variant is weird. (Really.)  Is Suffolk Co.,
> L.I., that different from NYC? Or is English going to hell like they
> say?
>
> JL
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
truth."
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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