[Ads-l] rebel yell and yeehaw
Jonathan Lighter
wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM
Fri Dec 15 20:21:09 UTC 2023
An infantryman very clearly shouts an enthusiastic "Yee-ha!" in the movie
_The Story of G.I. Joe_ (1945).
JL
On Wed, Mar 28, 2018 at 9:09 PM Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Merriam-Webster online now defines "rebel yell" as follows:
>
> "a prolonged high-pitched yell often uttered by Confederate soldiers in
> the American Civil War"
>
>
> Close, but no cigar. "Any of various high-pitched yells..." would be
> more accurate.
>
> The M-W editors have clearly fallen for the modern stereotype.
>
> JL
>
> On Sat, Jul 15, 2017 at 11:25 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I wonder what the connection is between "yee-haw"and "hee-haw" is, if any.
>>
>> Back in 1961, a tarheel barracks-mate, Edgar B. Lacey, Jr., demonstrated
>> for me what he said was the rebel yell. It wasn't yee- or hee-haw, but it
>> was certainly a yell. Sadly, though loud, it was so generic that he could
>> easily have generated it just for the occasion. Also, he was in the same
>> elite - no blacks, no Jews, no "rebels" - unit of Russian "linguists" -
>> numbering ca. 200 head of EM - that I was a member of. So, he and the only
>> two other white Southerners, the "Southern Gentleman" from Albany, GA, and
>> the "Country Hick" from Pascagoula, MS, by way of Weslaco, TX, were not
>> the
>> kind of people that you'd trust or expect to know or care anything about
>> the rebel yell.
>>
>> Of course, with enough people shouting it, anything works. The battle-cry
>> of the once-mighty, much-feared Cossacks was a simple _gik_: [gi:! gi:!
>> gi:!], shouted in falsetto.
>>
>> Those of sufficient maturity may recall the following battle-cry:
>>
>> Galaxy Magazine - Volume 8, Issues 1-6 - Page 137
>> https://books.google.com/books?id=gLoSAAAAIAAJ
>> 1954 - Snippet view
>> And then the little man cupped his hands to his mouth and hooted
>> mournfully
>> into the twilight, _"Wa-wa-wa-wa-wabbit twacks!"_
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 15, 2017 at 9:28 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
>> >
>> wrote:
>>
>> > A US Marine Corps recruiting poster of 1918 reads, remarkably,
>> >
>> > "E-E-E-Yah-Yip Go Over With U.S. Marines"
>> >
>> > https://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/3551356171/in/set-
>> > 72157604204316251/
>> >
>> > I read the "Yip" as a clumsy way of conveying a high-pitched squeal,
>> rather
>> > than the representation of an actual vocable.
>> >
>> > An interesting relative of both the "yip-yip-yip" type of rebel yell and
>> > the later, iconic "(Y)ee-ha!"
>> >
>> > JL
>> >
>> > On Sat, Jun 20, 2015 at 8:33 AM, Jonathan Lighter <
>> wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > > -----------------------
>> > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> > > Subject: Re: rebel yell and yeehaw
>> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > -------------------
>> > >
>> > > Yesterday I found myself serendipitously driving behind a panel truck
>> > that
>> > > advertised
>> > >
>> > > YEE-HAW! A FINE SOUTHERN BEER.
>> > >
>> > > YOU'LL SAY IT WHEN YOU DRINK IT!
>> > >
>> > > Proof:
>> > > https://trademarks.justia.com/864/49/you-ll-say-it-when-you-
>> > > drink-86449331.html
>> > >
>> > > JL
>> > >
>> > > On Sat, Jun 13, 2015 at 5:02 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
>> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>> > > wrote:
>> > >
>> > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > > > -----------------------
>> > > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > > > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> > > > Subject: Re: rebel yell and yeehaw
>> > > >
>> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > -------------------
>> > > >
>> > > > Another early Yeehah!
>> > > >
>> > > > "The Cumberland Three" was a folk-pop band of the Kingston Trio
>> sort.
>> > In
>> > > > 1960 they released a pair of LPs of souped-up Civil War songs on the
>> > > > Roulette label: "Civil War Almanac: 'Yankees,' Vol. 1" and
>> > "...'Rebels,'
>> > > > Vol. 2."
>> > > >
>> > > > On track B3 of the latter album, an extreme "Yeehah!" is
>> specifically
>> > > > identified as "the rebel yell."
>> > > >
>> > > > The Cumberland Three, as far as I can tell, hailed from the West
>> Coast.
>> > > >
>> > > > JL
>> > > >
>> > > > On Sun, Jun 7, 2015 at 4:45 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
>> > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
>> > > >
>> > > > wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > > > > -----------------------
>> > > > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > > > > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> > > > > Subject: Re: rebel yell and yeehaw
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > -------------------
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Now there's a whole book on the subject:
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> http://www.amazon.com/The-Rebel-Yell-Cultural-History/dp/0817318488
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Nothing linguistically new here, though there's a lot of
>> discussion
>> > of
>> > > > the
>> > > > > yell as a primary postbellum cultural symbol that seems to have
>> been
>> > > > ousted
>> > > > > by the Confederate battle flag (actually, naval flag) only during
>> the
>> > > > Civil
>> > > > > Rights Movement.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Professor Warren's bulleted "key observations" include:
>> > > > >
>> > > > > "As early as the summer of 1861 Southern screeching had occurred
>> in
>> > > both
>> > > > > major theaters of the war. ...
>> > > > >
>> > > > > "The Rebel yell seemingly lacked words, word sounds, rhyme, and
>> any
>> > > > > coherent rhythm....
>> > > > >
>> > > > > "The yell resulted from bodies of men screeching in unison. The
>> > > > collective
>> > > > > effort created greater volume and complexity than could be
>> achieved
>> > by
>> > > > any
>> > > > > one soldier...."
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Etc. He also cites and dismisses claims that the yell originated
>> at
>> > > Troy,
>> > > > > in Britain or Ireland, among the Mongols, or in the ululations of
>> > > Muslim
>> > > > > Spain. Maybe Indian war-whoops contributed, maybe they didn't.
>> Maybe
>> > > > slave
>> > > > > shouts too, but maybe not. You just can't tell with the rebel
>> yell;
>> > > > > especially since, as Professor Warren correctly observes, there
>> was
>> > no
>> > > > > single, standard, prescribed yell at all.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Prof. Warren, author of an earlier book on Civil War literature,
>> > cites
>> > > a
>> > > > > plethora of rebel yell information.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > Except, that is, for our multi-year discussion, which began in
>> > 2006. I
>> > > > > find no mention of "Yeehaw!" antebellum mules, "Red River," Stan
>> > > > Freberg,
>> > > > > "Doctor Strangelove," or the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > But there is a photo of the dust jacket of H. Allen Smith's book.
>> > > > >
>> > > > > JL
>> > > > >
>> > > > > On Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 6:58 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
>> > > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>> > > > > wrote:
>> > > > >
>> > > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > > > > > -----------------------
>> > > > > > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > > > > > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> > > > > > Subject: Re: rebel yell and yeehaw
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > -------------------
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > One day earlier in _The Oregonian_ (Portland), p. 11.
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > JL
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > On Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 6:44 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
>> > > > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com>
>> > > > > > wrote:
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > > > > > > -----------------------
>> > > > > > > Sender: American Dialect Society <
>> ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > > > > > > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> > > > > > > Subject: Re: rebel yell and yeehaw
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > -------------------
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > For the record, here is the earliest "Yee-ha[w/h]!" I've seen
>> > that
>> > > > > > > explicitly refers to it as a "rebel yell":
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > 1984 Joyce Lain Kennedy in _Springfield [Mass.] Republican_
>> B-8:
>> > > The
>> > > > > next
>> > > > > > > time your temper flares at the boss and you're tempted to
>> > > "yee-haw!"
>> > > > a
>> > > > > > > rebel yell, remember who lost the Civil War.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > That's 123 years after the start of said war.
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > JL
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > On Wed, Apr 25, 2012 at 10:11 PM, Jonathan Lighter <
>> > > > > > wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com
>> > > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > wrote:
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> > > > > > > > -----------------------
>> > > > > > > > Sender: American Dialect Society <
>> ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> > >
>> > > > > > > > Poster: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
>> > > > > > > > Subject: Re: rebel yell and yeehaw
>> > > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > >
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > -------------------
>> > > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > > Make that "(1959)."
>> > > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > > JL
>> > > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > > > > > > The American Dialect Society -
>> http://www.americandialect.org
>> > > > > > > >
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > --
>> > > > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't
>> handle
>> > the
>> > > > > > truth."
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> > > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > --
>> > > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
>> the
>> > > > > truth."
>> > > > > >
>> > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> > > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > >
>> > > > > --
>> > > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle
>> the
>> > > > truth."
>> > > > >
>> > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> > > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > >
>> > > > --
>> > > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> > > truth."
>> > > >
>> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> > > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> > truth."
>> > >
>> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> > >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
>> truth."
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> -Wilson
>> -----
>> 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
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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