[Ads-l] Further Antedating of "Soul" (African-American)

[Jonathan Lighter]

I'd put it in brackets. The early date suggests to me it means "the
quality that arouses emotion and sentiment" (MW).

But this is surely the origin of the African-American sense.


JL

On Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 9:08 PM Shapiro, Fred
<00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> soul (OED, 3.c., "the emotional or spiritual quality of African American life and culture," 1946)
>
> 1936 Down Beat Oct. 11/1 (RIPM Jazz Periodicals)
>
> Wilson's concise style perfectly adapted to interpretation of this plaintive blues.  Played with "soul."
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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