LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.14 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 14 March 2007 - Volume 02

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From: Elsie Zinsser <ezinsser at icon.co.za>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.12 (05) [E]

Hi all,

Ron, 'lala' also means 'to sleep' in Nguni languages (Zulu and Xhosa).
Perhaps the word was borrowed from Central Bantu languages and carried to
the Persian Kingdoms centuries ago. I understand that slaves were taken from
Africa by Arabic nations long before they were taken by European nations.

Regards,

Elsie Zinsser
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From: "Brooks, Mark" <mark.brooks at twc.state.tx.us>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.14 (01) [E]

Gary wrote about la-la land from the Oxford American Dictionary:

noun informal Los Angeles or Hollywood, esp. with regard to the lifestyle
and attitudes of those living there or associated with it. • a fanciful
state or dreamworld.

That's what I always thought.  I considered writing about that yesterday,
but I reckoned that I was so far off that I wouldn't be helpful.  Now that
an "authority" agrees with me, I'll pile on the bandwagon ;-)

Don't ask me how or why I thought it had to do with Los Angeles, I can't
recall.

Mark Brooks

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From: Kevin Caldwell <kevin.caldwell1963 at verizon.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.03.14 (01) [E]

My (decidedly uninformed) opinion is that the phrase "la-la land" for "a
fanciful state or dreamworld" came first, and then people started applying
it to Los Angeles/Hollywood.

Merriam-Webster Online has this:

"Etymology: perhaps from *la-la* nonsense syllables in the refrains of songs


Date: 1983

: a euphoric dreamlike mental state detached from the harsher realities of
life"

And the Online Etymology Dictionary has this for "la-la" (note especially
the Latin word):

nonsense refrain in songs, probably from O.E. la, a common exclamation; but
la-la is imitative of babbling speech in many languages (cf. Gk. lalage
"babble, prattle," Skt. lalalla "imitation of stammering" L. lallare "to
sing to sleep, lull," Ger. lallen "to stammer," Lith. laluoti "to stammer").

Kevin Caldwell

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

For what it's worth, my (decidedly uninformed) decision is to put my money
on Kevin's opinion above.

Whatever migration there may or may not have been, I assume that "la-la" is
onomatopoetic by origin, imitating the "uncooperative tongue" speech of
infants, sleepy-heads and various intoxicated characters (including those
that were taken away in a drug raid last night in my neighborhood).

German lallen tends to be translated as 'to babble' or 'to prattle'.  I'm
not happy with that and am under the impression that English doesn't have an
exact equivalent of lallen, namely for this afore-mentioned "uncooperative
tongue speech" (which tends to be slow and halting).  It is definitely not
'to stammer' or 'to stutter', for those are stottern.  In Northern Low Saxon
I would say lallen and stamern or stammeln respectively.

Mark (above):

> That's what I always thought.  I considered writing about that yesterday,
but I reckoned that I was so far off that I wouldn't be helpful.

Oh, sure, Mark!  That's easy to say now.  Credit for "meant to"?  Nope,
sirrie!  ;-)

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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