[Ads-l] ship, v. (2000-01)

Tue Aug 16 17:09:42 UTC 2016

I think you found an example from around the time that usage was changing—I
know that I personally used "shipping" to refer to more than just the
Mulder/Scully relationship by 1999. So I shouldn't have been so harsh!
Unfortunately, I don't have my emails from that time period, so I can't go
through my personal correspondence to see when my own usage changed. But
that's the right time period to find the change beginning to happen, if my
memory is correct. (Of course I might have missed other people using it
more broadly much earlier—and that would be delightful to discover!)

On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 1:05 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Interesting point, Flourish. Perhaps warning brackets are needed
> around the citation.
>
> Below is a message from November 1999 that used "shipper" to refer to
> a relationship between Alex and Mulder. Hence, some readers of the
> x-flies newsgroup employed (or perceived) the generalized meaning of
> shipper although this interpretation was atypical. (I am using a
> citation for "shipper" to shed light on "ship".)
>
> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.tv.x-files/Hc8Eesmbvyg/ohhv0VBuMoEJ
>
> [Begin message]
> From: gilamonster96122 at aol.commie (Tom Dexter)
> Subject: Re: Q:When did you became Shipper/Noromo and why?
> Date: 1999/11/13
> Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files
>
> I became a shipper when Alex kissed Mulder. Those two sad, dark men
> really need each other..... Huh? Wait....You mean Mulder and Scully???
> Uh, never mind  :-P
>
> Tom
> [End message]
>
> Below is an example of "To ship or not to" from a message dated
> January 18, 1998. But this use might also be viewed narrowly. It might
> mean: should Scully and Mulder consummate their relationship.
>
>
> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.tv.x-files.creative/R-LIzEboU-I/IhwB5A8U1KsJ
>
> [Begin message]
>
> From: laura capozzola <laur... at erols.com>
> Subject: Re: Commentary on The X-Files from a Prejudiced Point of View
> Date: 1998/01/18
> X-Trace: winter.news.erols.com 885142916 2686 207.172.148.234 (18 Jan
> 1998 17:01:56 GMT)
> Organization: Erol's Internet Services
> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files.creative
> ...
> To ship or not to ship jerks everyone's chains.  It seems like every
> phile has an opinion about it one way or another.  It's perfect
> teasing fodder for the master tactician.  For playing the shipper card
> so diabolically in Season 5, I have to salute him.
> [End message]
>
> Garson
>
>
> On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 12:06 PM, Flourish Klink
> <flourish.klink at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Excellent find! However, at that time "to ship" clearly meant only to
> > believe Mulder and Scully should be in a relationship. It was not a verb
> > used for other pairings (as it is today, or as it's clearly being used in
> > the 2001 Harry Potter instance). Does it count?
> >
> > On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 11:59 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> > adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Regarding "ship" as a verb: Apparently, The X-Files Official magazine,
> >> Winter 1998, ran a poll under the title "To Ship, or not to Ship?" It
> >> was mentioned in x-files Usenet groups by early December 1998. The
> >> title by itself was somewhat ambiguous, but the accompanying text made
> >> the meaning clear. Here are some links and excerpts.
> >>
> >> This link points to the Way Back Machine snapshot of an article about
> >> the poll. The snapshot was taken May 4 1999, but the poll, as
> >> mentioned, appeared in the The X-Files Official magazine, Winter 1998.
> >> (This should be checked in hard copy, if possible.)
> >>
> >>
> >>
> https://web.archive.org/web/19990504044427/http://www.idealists.simplenet.com/articles/txfarts/shippoll.html
> >>
> >> [Begin excerpt]
> >> To Ship or Not To Ship?
> >> By Gina McIntyre, Editor The Official Magazine
> >>
> >> To Ship, or not to Ship?" - That is the question we asked readers in
> >> Issue 7. And answer in droves they did, with a loud and resounding,
> >> "YES!" For those unfamiliar with the "shippers" (short for
> >> relationshippers) argument, allow me to surmise: Mulder and Scully
> >> should become involved in an overtly romantic capacity RIGHT NOW! The
> >> crux of their argument is that as the two agents enter their sixth
> >> season together as devoted partners, they share a love for one another
> >> that can no longer remain confined inside the boundaries of a platonic
> >> relationship. Their motto: "Why don't they do it and get it over
> >> with?"
> >> [End excerpt]
> >>
> >> Here is a Usenet message mentioning the "To ship or not to ship poll"
> >> on Dec 5, 1998.
> >>
> >> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/it.fan.x-files/cZJpxrutGxY/AClskwj9pL0J
> >>
> >> [Begin message]
> >> From: "kilini" <kil... at nospamiol.it>
> >> Subject: To ship or not to ship poll USA (da Mel in trasferta)
> >> Date: 1998/12/05
> >> Message-ID: <74c9ja$dcf$1 at hermes.iol.it>#1/1
> >> X-Deja-AN: 419046973
> >> Organization: Italia Online
> >> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4
> >> Newsgroups: it.fan.x-files
> >>
> >> http://idealists.simplenet.com/articles/txfarts/shippoll.html
> >>
> >> Haven of the FBI most unwanted
> >>
> >> Il risultato e' stato SI', OVVIAMENTE:P
> >> Interessante il punto di vista NoRomo dell'articolista:-)
> >> Mel
> >>
> >> To Ship or Not To Ship?
> >> By Gina McIntyre, Editor The Official Magazine
> >>
> >> To Ship, or not to Ship?" - That is the question we asked readers in
> Issue
> >> 7. And answer in droves they did, with a loud and resounding, "YES!" For
> >> those unfamiliar with the "shippers" (short for relationshippers)
> argument,
> >> allow me to surmise: Mulder and Scully should become involved in an
> overtly
> >> romantic capacity RIGHT NOW! The crux of their argument is that as the
> two
> >> agents enter their sixth season together as devoted partners, they
> share a
> >> love for one another that can no longer remain confined inside the
> >> boundaries of a platonic relationship. Their motto: "Why don't they do
> it
> >> and get it over with?"
> >> [End message]
> >>
> >> Below are two more Usenet articles.
> >>
> >> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.tv.x-files/zJfDd8ofngE/wGtVd5qKGw8J
> >>
> >> [Begin message]
> >> From: "Mick Swan" <swa... at mediaone.net>
> >> Subject: to ship or not to ship??
> >> Date: 1998/12/07
> >> Organization: Northeast Region--MediaOne
> >> NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 19:34:06 EDT
> >> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files
> >>
> >> Ok...I am so out of the loop here.....how do I know if I am a shipper or
> >> not!!! I am losing sleep over this...is it good??? is it bad??? Who will
> >> explain this to me??!?!?!?
> >>
> >> -mick swan
> >>
> >> just a ordinary NH phile
> >> [End message]
> >>
> >> https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.tv.x-files/zJfDd8ofngE/-eB5TnrsGbMJ
> >>
> >> [Begin message]
> >> From: christy <celli... at snet.net>
> >> Subject: Re: to ship or not to ship??
> >> Date: 1998/12/08
> >> Organization: "SNET dial access service"
> >> Newsgroups: alt.tv.x-files
> >>
> >> Mick Swan wrote:
> >> >
> >> > Ok...I am so out of the loop here.....how do I know if I am a shipper
> or
> >> > not!!! I am losing sleep over this...is it good??? is it bad??? Who
> will
> >> > explain this to me??!?!?!?
> >>
> >> Its a good thing! Shippers come in all shapes and sizes, but all agree
> >> that Mulder and Scully are in love and eventually want them to get
> >> together romantically on the show. Some want it now, others want it to
> >> wait until the last ep. Some think sex must be explicitly involved,
> >> others are happy with sex being implied or ambiguous.
> >>
> >> If you don't see the love between our heroes, you fall in the noromo
> >> camp.
> >>
> >> If you aren't sure, or prefer the UST, you are probably a fence sitter.
> >>
> >> If you simply don't care one way or the other as long as the show stays
> >> good, then you are a ....I dunno what you are. We don't have any labels
> >> to put on you. Just a fan/phile maybe?
> >>
> >> christy, who is most definitely a shipper
> >> SAC, KickAss! Women's Brigade, ATXF Shipper Division
> >> [End message]
> >>
> >> Garson
> >>
> >>
> >> On Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 10:36 AM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >> > OED3 has a first cite of 2005 for the verb "ship" = 'To discuss,
> portray,
> >> > or advocate a romantic pairing of (two characters who appear in a
> work of
> >> > (serial) fiction), esp. when such a pairing is not depicted in the
> >> original
> >> > work.' A Merriam-Webster "Words We're Watching" post also dates it to
> >> 2005:
> >> >
> >> > http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/ship-words-were-watching
> >> >
> >> > The verbal noun "shipping" dates to 1997, from a Usenet post about
> "The
> >> > X-Files." ("Shipper" appeared on Usenet the previous year, from
> >> > "relationshipper.") So it shouldn't have taken too long for fans to
> come
> >> up
> >> > with the backformation "ship."
> >> >
> >> > Antedatings for the verb can be found in forums for "Harry Potter"
> fans,
> >> > including on Yahoo Groups. Here's the earliest I've found so far:
> >> >
> >> > -----
> >> > Sara Beth Brooks, Harry Potter fanfiction (Yahoo Group), Nov. 5, 2000
> >> > And as to Ron/Harry shippers- let 'em ship. [...] As long as no one
> >> forces
> >> > me to read and Ron/Harry stories, I'm perfectly fine with letting them
> >> ship
> >> > all they want.
> >> >
> >>
> https://beta.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ParadigmOfUncertainty/conversations/topics/3888
> >> > -----
> >> >
> >> > And from the same author, later that day:
> >> >
> >> > -----
> >> > If you want to ship for m/m or f/f, dammit, ship.  Just don't make me
> >> ship
> >> > with you.
> >> >
> >>
> https://beta.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ParadigmOfUncertainty/conversations/topics/3894
> >> > -----
> >> >
> >> > Note that "ship" at this point was intransitive -- later usage has the
> >> > romantic pairing as the object of the verb (typically as "X/Y", "X and
> >> Y",
> >> > or "X with Y"). I can't decide if this one is transitive or
> intransitive:
> >> >
> >> > -----
> >> > Allison, H/H Shippers Anonymous (Yahoo Group), Apr. 21, 2001
> >> > My personal two favorite ways to ship are of course H/H and D/G.
> >> >
> >>
> https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/HHShippersAnonymous/conversations/messages/1
> >> > [may require subscribing to read]
> >> > -----
> >> >
> >> > This one is more clearly transitive:
> >> >
> >> > -----
> >> > Lia, Harry Potter fanfiction (Yahoo Group), Oct. 4, 2001
> >> > I ship Hermione with almost anyone.
> >> >
> >>
> https://beta.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ParadigmOfUncertainty/conversations/messages/12241
> >> > -----
> >> >
> >> > --bgz
> >> >
> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

------------------------------------------------------------
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