#Okay google my history series

English for a decade or more before its appearance in newspapers. The general fad is speculated to have existed in spoken or informal written U.S. One predecessor of OK was OW, 'oll wright.' and used expressions like OFM, 'our first men,' NG, 'no go,' GT, 'gone to Texas,' and SP, 'small potatoes.' Many of the abbreviated expressions were exaggerated misspellings, a stock in trade of the humorists of the day. The abbreviation fad began in Boston in the summer of 1838. Read argues that, at the time of the expression's first appearance in print, a broader fad existed in the United States of 'comical misspellings' and of forming and employing acronyms, themselves based on colloquial speech patterns: He also documented controversy surrounding OK and the history of its folk etymologies, both of which are intertwined with the history of the word itself. He tracked the spread and evolution of the word in American newspapers and other written documents, and later throughout the rest of the world.

#Okay google my history series

The etymology that most reference works provide today is based on a survey of the word's early history in print: a series of six articles by Allen Walker Read in the journal American Speech in 19. The following proposals have found mainstream recognition.

Many explanations for the origin of the expression have been suggested, but few have been discussed seriously by linguists. See also: List of proposed etymologies of OK Some of this variation in use and shape of the word is also found in other languages. As a versatile discourse marker or continuer, it can also be used with appropriate intonation to show doubt or to seek confirmation ('OK?', 'Is that OK?'). OK, as an adjective, can express acknowledgement without approval. It can mean 'assent' when it is used as a noun ('the boss gave her the OK to the purchase') or, more colloquially, as a verb ('the boss OKed the purchase'). As an interjection, it can denote compliance ('OK, I will do that'), or agreement ('OK, that is fine'). It fulfills a similar role as an adverb ('Wow, you did OK for your first time skiing!'). This origin was first described by linguist Allen Walker Read in the 1960s.Īs an adjective, OK principally means 'adequate' or 'acceptable' as a contrast to 'bad' ('The boss approved this, so it is OK to send out') it can also mean 'mediocre' when used in contrast with 'good' ('The french fries were great, but the burger was just OK'). OK's origins are disputed however, most modern reference works hold that it originated around Boston as part of a fad for misspelling in the late 1830s, and originally stood for 'oll korrect' ('all correct'). It has been described as the most frequently spoken or written word on the planet. OK is frequently used as a loanword in other languages. OK ( / ˌ oʊ ˈ k eɪ/ ⓘ spelling variations include okay, O.K., ok and Ok) is an English word (originating in American English) denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, acknowledgment, or a sign of indifference. For other uses, see OK (disambiguation) and Okay (disambiguation).