nyaa nyaa/ naa naa (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Paul Johnston]

Olly-olly oxen free was fine for Hinsdale, IL in 1956.  My wife, from Cleveland, knows olly-olly-umfree (also 1950's)

Paul Johnston


On Feb 13, 2012, at 7:39 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: nyaa nyaa/ naa naa (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> On Feb 13, 2012, at 6:42 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>
>> Oddly, I've heard neither this nor "olly-olly-oxen-free" in the wild.
>> Like the "razzberry," it's one of those things that white people write
>> that they do or say.
>>
>> --
>> -Wilson
>
> I've heard it.  It is, however, pronounced "All-y all-y in free".  The ox is silent.
>
> LH
>> -----
>> All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint
>> to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>> -Mark Twain
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 10:48 AM, Jonathan Lighter
>> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
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>>> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster: Â  Â  Â  Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: nyaa nyaa/ naa naa (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> The number of nyaas cited is correct for my idiolect.
>>>
>>> JL
>>>
>>> On Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 10:06 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
>>> <Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
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>>>> Sender: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>> Poster: Â  Â  Â  "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
>>>> Subject: Â  Â  Â Re: nyaa nyaa/ naa naa (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>> 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: Â  Â  Â  American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>> Poster: Â  Â  Â  Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>>>>> Subject: Â  Â  Â 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.) Â 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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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> "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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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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