[Ads-l] Hella research inquiry

[Laurence Horn]

Seems like a comparison with, say, Beverly Hills High yearbooks might shed some light on whether “hella” really was based more in northern Cal.  In any case, the 1988/1989 numbers supports the OED/HDAS timeline rather than my speculation that it was around longer than that.

LH

> On Sep 28, 2020, at 8:00 PM, Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> The formulation "hell of" appears numerous times in the 86-87 Berkeley High yearbook.
> 
> Hella appears in 88 once, and several times in 89 yearbook.
> 
> 
> https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/topics/berkeley-history/personal-history
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 11:42:47 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Hella research inquiry
> 
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Hella research inquiry
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> For a student working at the Yale Grammatical Diversity Project, I=E2=80=99=
> m wondering if anyone has any suggestions on early cites and history of =
> =E2=80=9Chella=E2=80=9D.  OED and HDAS both have 1987 for the earliest =
> cite, but I suspect that can now be antedated. At HDAS, Jon classifies =
> it as a prefix but it=E2=80=99s clearly shed that restriction when used =
> in frames like the attested =E2=80=9CThis chair reclines hella=E2=80=9D, =
> and I=E2=80=99d be inclined to go with the OED=E2=80=99s entry listing =
> it as an adverb (=E2=80=9Chella fast/smart/funny=E2=80=9D) and adjective =
> (=E2=80=9Chella memory/pride/stairs=E2=80=9D).  Our survey results are =
> generally consistent with the widespread view that it=E2=80=99s a =
> Californianism (although while the shibboleth still associates it with =
> Northern California, that appears to no longer be true), while also =
> showing that it=E2=80=99s expanded well beyond that. (DARE doesn=E2=80=99t=
> have a separate entry, and just one cite, from Berkeley, within the =
> entry for =E2=80=9Ctight=E2=80=9D. In terms of etymology, can we go =
> beyond the OED=E2=80=99s disjunctive suggestion, "Probably shortened < =
> either helluva adj. or hellacious adj.=E2=80=9D?  Is there any =
> literature the student should check out?  We=E2=80=99d be hella =
> grateful!
> 
> LH =20=
> 
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