How many words do we have?

The Brits might disagree with this statement, but we US citizens generally speak English.  We inherited our language from our parent country.  But even English, for the most part, isn’t really English.  Nope, English is a collection of words from all around the globe.  Some have argued that there are more words in the English language than any other language.  But the simple truth is, amazingly, no one really knows how many English words there are.  And I’m not speaking about a little bit.  I’m talking about a lot!

It has been estimated that there are somewhere between 200,000 English words too nearly one cool million.  The reason for this difficulty is that no one really knows how to count them.  The difficulty comes from words like “dog.”  There are the four legged variants that dig up your flower gardens and rummage through your trashy refuse, then there is the way that someone dogs someone else.  This is the same word, two different meanings.  Then there are the variants of the same word; you run, are running, and ran.  There are also the contractions.  If a hyphenated combination of two words has a separate meaning than the other two words individually, can you count it again as an independent word, even if you have already counted them?  What about the derivative words like all, right, and alright? What about all the technical words?  What about the legal and medical terms?  Are these commonly used technical words English words, or Latin words?

How did this happen?

So, how did this all happen?  Well, starting off, England was invaded and conquered by almost everyone who could row their boats across the English channel!  Apparently, the“Heinz 57' descendants got tired of having their butts kicked and decided to do a little butt kicking themselves!  Soon after, the English Empire was borne, (or is that born?)  Well, they kept adding words without getting rid of the old words.  Not even the Queen of England knows for sure how many words are in her language.  So, if you don’t know how many words you have, then how can you know if you have the biggest dictionary?  How long does it take for a commonly used word to become an “official” English word?  Is Habeas Corpus an English word(s) yet?  What about the commonly used colloquialisms?  When do they become official?

Here are some of the places we get our language from:

Australian Aboriginal -kangaroo; African -trek; Arabic -ghoul; Chinese -gung-ho; Czech -robot; Dutch -bundle; Etruscan -market; Finnish -sauna; French -academic; German -kindergarten; Greek -apology; Hawaiian -aloha; Hebrew -behemoth; Hungarian -coach; (India has many languages: Sanskrit -diva; Tamil -pariah; Hindi -shampoo and avatar (just like my MySpace picture); Urdu -cushy);  Indonesian -amok; Irish (Gaelic) -dig from dtuig “to understand” (think hippies); Italian -facade; Japanese -tycoon; Korean -soju; Latin -sinister; Malay -paddy; Maori -kiwi; North American Aboriginal -skunk; Norwegian -ski; Old Norse -anger; Persian -rank; Polish -horde; Portuguese -breeze; Romanian -pastrami; Russian -luna; Serbo-Croatian -Tesla; Scots -blackmail; Scottish Gaelic -bunny; Spanish -alligator;  Swedish -gauntlet; Tagalog -boondocks; Turkic -yoghurt; Ukrainian -Cossack; Welsh -car; Yiddish -bagel!

Of course it’s difficult to say exactly where we got some words because many are passed down through several groups of people with different languages.  They begin in the ancient languages and eventually plop right down into the English language.  And of course, we always have room for more.

The United States adds one of our own!

So in the midst of this “big stew” we call the English language, we United States citizens decided to make our own contribution  . . .  sort of.  Yep, we inadvertently invented what has become not only a US word, or an English word, but a truly an international word.  I say United States citizens instead of Americans because the Canadians and Mexicans had absolutely nothing to do with this!  Nope, this word was invented in the exact same place we had our famous tea party.  Or, perhaps the infamous tea party if you happen to live on the other side of the Atlantic!  Yep, it’s a Bostonian word!

Yes-sir-ree Billy Bob, it’s a fascinating word because no one can really get behind it.  No one is really enthusiastic about it.  But, it’s short and easy to pronounce in any language.  And, most languages don’t really have an equivalent, even though globally most people throughout the world can relate to it.  Yep, it’s just an OK word! OK?

OK 1 or o·kay  (-k) Informal

n. pl. OK's or o·kays

• Approval; agreement: Get your supervisor's OK before taking a day off.

adj.

• Agreeable; acceptable: Was everything OK with your stay?
• Satisfactory; good: an OK fellow.
• Not excellent and not poor; mediocre: made an OK presentation.
• In proper or satisfactory operational or working order: Is the battery OK?
• Correct: That answer is OK.
• Uninjured; safe: The skier fell but was OK.
• Fairly healthy; well: Thanks to the medicine, the patient was OK.

adv.

• Used to express approval or agreement.
• Fine; well enough; adequately: a television that works OK despite its age.

tr.v. OK'ed or OK'd or o·kayed, OK'·ing or o·kay·ing, OK's or o·kays

• To approve of or agree to; authorize.

OK, where did OK come from?

And of course, most people who use it don’t really know where it comes from.  So, how did this little jewel come to be?  Answer: In 1839, the newspaper writers and editors in Boston had a sense of humor.  They had a habit of abbreviating commonly used words and then spelling them out.  Because they were spelling them out anyway, they sometimes intentionally misspelled the abbreviation!  The first documented use of “OK” came from the March 23 edition of the Boston Morning Post (a United States newspaper).

This is the quote: “The 'Chairman of the Committee on Charity Lecture Bells', is one of the deputation, and perhaps if he should return to Boston, via Providence, he of the Journal, and his train-band, would have his 'contribution box,' et ceteras, o.k.—all correct—and cause the corks to fly, like sparks, upward.”

That’s right, “OK” were the initials for “All Correct!”  (Oll Korrect)  Now, normally that word would have died except wouldn’t you know it, the Presidential race followed the next year in 1840.  It got really ugly.  “OK,” became the initials for 'Old Kinderhook,' a.k.a. Martin Van Buren, a native of Kinderhook, NY.  He wasn’t great, but I guess he was OK.  Both sides were using OK for him and it took off like “Read my lips”; “Where’s the beef?”; “You're no Jack Kennedy”; and this year’s winner, “Joe the Plumber!”  Ain’t politics swell?

Martin Van Buren, our 8th President, lived up to his OK initials.  His administration was credited with a lackluster economy and strained ties with Brittan.  He is “almost” remembered today for not really doing anything.  In fact, when someone asks who he is, the response will probably be, “He’s the President that followed President Andrew Jackson and proceeded President William Henry Harrison.”  Well, I guess everyone had enough with OK and voted him not OK.  He was a  one term President (1837 to 1841).

OK, this word apparently was very catchy because it really spread, OK?  OK is not really a great word, but it’s an OK word.  It’s not a “no,” it’s not an enthusiastic “yes,” it’s just OK.  No one is really fighting it, OK, but it’s OK with them.

I certainly hope you are all proud of our OK word, and I hope this blog was OK with you, OK?

References:

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Isn't it nice to know that potentially our future Commander-in-Chief cares more about a bunch of damn foreigners than he does his own fallen troops?  That he cares more for Germans at a press op than he does wounded Americans?

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