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From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (G A Moffett)
Newsgroups: net.nlang,net.nlang.africa
Subject: Re: Derivation of O.K.
Message-ID: <1672@amdahl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 16-Jun-85 03:18:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: amdahl.1672
Posted: Sun Jun 16 03:18:39 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Jun-85 05:29:54 EDT
References: <280@mhuxj.UUCP>
Reply-To: gam@amdahl.UUCP (G A Moffett)
Organization: Blue Mouse Trailer Resort, Hellmouth, CA
Lines: 18
Keywords: OK, etymology
Xref: watmath net.nlang:3187 net.nlang.africa:51
Summary: it was invented in the US

In article <280@mhuxj.UUCP> daa@mhuxj.UUCP (ANSEN) writes:
>I just read that the word "Okay" stems from the
>Wolof word "wawkay", which means "by all means",
>or "certainly."  The word was brought into American
>English by slaves brought over from West Africa.
>Does anybody know more about this?  Does anybody
>know of any other possible sources of the use
>of "O.K." in English?
>
>Debra Ansen
>inhp4!mhuxj!daa

Completely false, just as all the other explanations of "OK" coming
from some foriegn place.  It is an authentic American invention,
from a kind of ``cutesy'' slang popular in the 1920's.  (I would quote
you my Steward Berg Flexner books right now but I can't find them).
-- 
Gordon A. Moffett               ...!{ihnp4,cbosgd,sun}!amdahl!gam