[Ads-l] Grammy (April 1959)

[Laurence Horn]

> On Feb 3, 2026, at 10:21 AM, Ben Zimmer <00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> wrote:
> 
> Garson shared the Hollywood Reporter cite a few years ago.
> 
> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2022-May/161460.html
> 
> On Tue, Feb 3, 2026 at 7:46 AM dave at wilton.net <dave at wilton.net> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> The OED has September 1959. Here are two earlier ones.
>> 
>> Connolly, Mike. “Rambling Reporter.” The Hollywood Reporter, 23 April
>> 1959, 2/2. ProQuest: Trade Journal.
>> 
>> "Newly organized Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences is previewing ITS
>> award at the Derby—miniature gramophone called Grammy . . . Grammy, meet
>> Oscar & Emmy"
>> 
>> (The elipsis in the above quotation is in the original.)
>> 
>> 
>> Myers, Sim. “On the Square: Now Grammy.” Times-Picayune (New Orleans), 4
>> May 1959, 32/2. Readex: America’s Historical Newspapers.
>> 
>> "This is the week of Emmy and Grammy. I suppose quite a few people know by
>> now that Emmy is the niece of Oscar and means the award symbol for the top
>> television prizes for the year just ended. Grammy is the name of an award
>> which will be given for the first time this year in the phonograph industry.
>> 
>> "'Grammy' was selected because of its nomenclature similarity to
>> grammophone [<i>sic</i>] which is what people used to call the phonograph
>> in America and still do in England.


And since “grammophone” is no longer what we call the phonograph (if we call it anything at all besides “Gramma, what’s that funny whatchamacallit with the round thing that spins around and around and that long thingy with the needle at the end?”), we can recruit it to refer to language, the original grammophone connecting syntax and sound.  (Yeah, some might want to toss a “lex” or “sem” in there, but grammophone is a good start.)   Apparently the actual one-m “gramophone” began as a trademark and so ended up as a victim of genericide.

LH  
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