[Ads-l] Cap/Kap - "joke, not be serious, (hence: lie), ritualized joking tradition of Native Black Americans"

[MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY DEVCOM AVMC (USA)]

> The Native Black American *tada / tadau* ‘behold!, look!’ doesn’t appear in
> print until the early 1900s, despite its African origin, from the Kikongo
> *tadi* / *tala *‘behold!, look!’

> (or “imitative” in the case of *tada *– a mistake that all of
> the American dictionaries (incredibly) make).

Why is it "incredible" that dictionaries describe "ta-da" as imitative?  From the way the word is used in 20th century English, it is obvious the word being described is an onomatopoeic verbalization of the trumpet/brass flourish/fanfare, as used here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAVzcGcVecU



------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org