Culturebox: My OK, Your OK

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books My OK, Your OK A history of the word fails to fully appreciate its ambiguity. By Juliet Lapidos Posted Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010, at 10:20 AM ET I canceled plans with a friend recently. "Sorry," I wrote after a mincing explanation, "I know it was hell for you to change your schedule around, but it looks like I won't be able to make it tonight, after all." "OK," was all he sent back. Was my friend hurt? Annoyed? Simply busy? Entirely indifferent? And did he anticipate my bewilderment? Did he know that he'd left his note open to a range of possible interpretations? For Allan Metcalf, MacMurray College professor and author of OK, my friend's two-letter, one-word rejoinder is "by far the most successful American creation in language." It is also the "most frequently spoken (or typed) word on the planet." Like fast food, OK spread from the United States to the world; you'll hear it in Holland, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Finland, Italy, Spain, Wales, Israel, Korea, and Japan, among other countries, with, of course, slight variations in pronunciation. Paradoxically, a word that causes confusion when spoken (or typed) without sufficient context is also universally intelligible. To continue reading, click here. Juliet Lapidos is a Slate associate editor. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles Want To Scare the Bejesus Out of You Foreign College Students Are Great for the Economy. Here's How To Get More of Them. The Kardashians Have Killed Their Especially Sleazy Prepaid Debit Card. Hurray!	Advertisement
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