In the sense that ‘Yiddish’ in Yiddish means ‘Jewish’, ‘oy vey’ is Jewish. There are no arguments that ‘oy vey’ originated from any other language.
However, as James Nicoll said, “The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”
‘Oy vey’ is among those words appropriated. And once appropriated, some may argue it enters ‘general usage’. It’s origins remain the same, but its use is no longer limited to one ethnic group.
Ah, but it’s not the people to whom the usage is limited — but what the users of a “foreign” term have in mind to mean when they use a word they (should?) know has a strong connection with some ethnic group.
I mean, I can call Dick Cheney the Imperial Wizard of the White House — and you think, immediately, KKK —
or at least I hope that you do.
So, I claim, despite entering general usage, a term like “oy vey” remains, for all its general usage, some kind of speech that is connected, some place, in the minds of both speaker and listener, with Jews.
That’s all that I mean.
(But, what the hey? I watched the “n*gger-guy” episode on South Park last night and am still warped a bit.)
And to think some fool tried to tell me oy-vey was not specifically Jewish — but a nonethnic term of general usage.
Well…
In the sense that ‘Yiddish’ in Yiddish means ‘Jewish’, ‘oy vey’ is Jewish. There are no arguments that ‘oy vey’ originated from any other language.
However, as James Nicoll said, “The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”
‘Oy vey’ is among those words appropriated. And once appropriated, some may argue it enters ‘general usage’. It’s origins remain the same, but its use is no longer limited to one ethnic group.
Ah, but it’s not the people to whom the usage is limited — but what the users of a “foreign” term have in mind to mean when they use a word they (should?) know has a strong connection with some ethnic group.
I mean, I can call Dick Cheney the Imperial Wizard of the White House — and you think, immediately, KKK —
or at least I hope that you do.
So, I claim, despite entering general usage, a term like “oy vey” remains, for all its general usage, some kind of speech that is connected, some place, in the minds of both speaker and listener, with Jews.
That’s all that I mean.
(But, what the hey? I watched the “n*gger-guy” episode on South Park last night and am still warped a bit.)
Oh. It might be better to date the computer-dating-robot than any of the gals it might find as a match for you.
Me. Nothing matches. And, if anything or anyone purported to match me, I’d reject it.
Go figure that out.
(But, Yenta-bot, her I could take!)