Geoff's mention of the book Sex at Dawn reminded me of the time someone else drew my attention to this passage:
quote:
Robert Farris Thompson, American's most prominent historian of African art, says that funky is derived from the Ki-Kongo lu-fuki, meaning "positive sweat" of the sort you get from dancing or having sex, but not working. One's mojo, which has to be "working" to attract a lover, is Ki-Kongo for "soul". Boogie comes from mbugi, meaning "devilishly good." And both jazz and jism likely derive from dinza, the Ki-Kongo word for "to ejaculate."
The origin of all these words is unknown, except for funky, which might be from French. I really don't like how the authors rely on an art historian for questions of etymology.
Many a Ki-Kongo-derived word has been described by etymologists as "origin unknown." The word "jazz" is probably creolized Ki-Kongo: it is similar in sound and original meaning to "jizz," the American vernacular for semen. And "jizz," suggestive of vitality, appears to derive from the Ki-Kongo verb dinza, "to discharge one's semen, to come." Dinza was creolized in New Orleans and elsewhere in black United States into "jizz" and "jism."
The slang term "funky" in black communities originally referred to strong body odor, and not to "funk," meaning fear or panic. The black nuance seems to derive from the Ki-Kongo lu-fuki, "bad body odor," and is perhaps reinforced by contact with fumet, "aroma of food and wine," in French Louisiana.
The reason etymologists say these words' origins are unknown is because there is no evidence. And Thompson offers no evidence for his claims, as far as I can see. This is not etymology.
Grant Barrett wrote a great article about the bad scholarship in Daniel Cassidy's book How the Irish Invented Slang that seems relevant here:
quote:
Evidence. Above all, Cassidy needs to support his claims with published evidence that shows the etymological path. Dated, continuous, in-context quotations from any written source will always be superior evidence over phonetic speculation based upon national, linguistic, or ethnic pride.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: goofy,
October 03, 2011, 20:15
Kalleh
Excellent, goofy. It really shows how bad etymologies and linguistics stories (such as all the words Eskimos have for snow) develop. Possibly "epicaricacy" is part of that.
I do like the idea that there could be a different word for "positive sweat," though. I think there should be!
October 15, 2011, 13:12
goofy
In retrospect I think I was too hard on Robert Farris Thompson. I think it's clear that he's just speculating, because he qualifies his statements with "probably", "appears", and "seems". What bothers me much more is how the authors of Sex at Dawn repeat his claims without qualification, and without referring to an expert.
October 15, 2011, 18:30
Kalleh
I guess it just goes to show how important it is to be a critical reader. I think that is one of the best thing teachers can teach kids in this information age.