Why we say “OK”
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2018
- How a cheesy joke from the 1830s became the most widely spoken word in the world.
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OK is thought to be the most widely recognized word on the planet. We use it to communicate with each other, as well as our technology. But it actually started out as a language fad in the 1830’s of abbreviating words incorrectly.
Young intellectuals in Boston came up with several of these abbreviations, including “KC” for “knuff ced,” “OW” for “oll wright,” and KY for “know yuse.” But thanks to its appearance in Martin Van Buren’s 1840 presidential re-election campaign as the incumbents new nickname, Old Kinderhook, OK outlived its abbreviated comrades.
Later, widespread use by early telegraph operators caused OK to go mainstream, and its original purpose as a neutral affirmative is still how we use it today.
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Another popular false origin of OK comes from the American Civil War (1861-1865) which says that soldiers returning from battle would report "0K" (zero killed). And there's a few from around the world, too. Like the Greek "όλα καλά (óla kalá) which means "all good," the Scottish "och aye," which means "oh yes," and even a French-named seaport in Haiti, Aux Cayes. While these are all pretty interesting and might indicate why "OK" was so easily adapted into language worldwide, none of them can actually be traced in their influence the way "oll korrect" can. Neat. - Coleman
I knew the 0 kill was bs, cause it doesn't make sense
Like it makes less sense than the naming of Twitch emotes
I'm Greek and was told that O.K. came from Greek people who would send packages to their relatives in America or other countries and would write OK on them as a code that all was well back home. I never believed it 100% but always thought there's a good chance it's true because "all good" is pretty much the meaning of OK.
I finished watching the video, scrolled down to post a comment about us Greeks claiming that the origin is Greek and lo and behold, you have mentioned it. Nice.
But then why do people write "okay"?
@@shet0011 OK or okay???
so a meme in 1830 became the most used word in the world
Teixeira lol
And that's the power of memes even before the Internet
Teixeira next will come yeet
And on the moon😆
twosquirrelly you know that’s not how it works right? English was not the first language, and I doubt that’s how language was created.
In 2126
“Why do we ‘lul’”
The REALLY funny thing is that is totally plausible.
Ikr lol
42069:
Why do we not use boomer?
Phil Ochs it’s lol
@@ikiuia7804 lul
"Okay" is a magical word. It transcends language barriers. You could watch a movie in almost any language and still hear the word "okay". It requires no translation. You might not know how to say "yes" or "no" in another language, but you always know how to say "okay".
окей
None of the 3 other languages i speak uses the Latin alphabet. Still you say 'Okay' and everybody understands it. We even write it in our scripts, though not that popular. So yeah, 'Okay' is freaking universal
@@JamesXylight everyone that speaks hebrew knows ok, stop the nonsense
@@Dwight784 I just realized that "okay" and "ok" are different
@@JamesXylightthey are the same word
So how did we end up with the notion that “okay” is the technically correct spelling of ok? I need a sequel to this video
i feel like any lengthening of a word just makes it seem more formal, plus we shorten words a lot in the english language but lengthen it to their actual spelling for more professional use. (bro) i guess since the origins were confused and people didnt really professionally type with abbreviations people just thought to legnthen it to a "real word"
You just need somebody to tell you that *both* are technically correct spellings of okay.
@@christophercooper6731 Ok :)
@@1ia802 Noooo. The more formal spelling of 'ok'/'okay' has always been O.K. I see that kind of spelling in important pieces of writing.
@@sweetestaphrodite no i know that lol but like people texting try to be more polite by saying okay instead of ok
UA-cam at 3 am: Wanna know why we say Ok?
Me: Ok.
I'm back after this "Ok Boomer" nightmare. Seems appropriate
Lol me.
What if it’s spelt “okay”
@@AcrobattAustralia emm...🤔 ....ok!
True!
So "OK" is one of the oldest memes that have survived to this day.
Well memes have always been around. The word "meme" is just new.
@@incorrecteingave857 meme is also a very old word
@@ishant2009 How old?
Nahh throwing pommel is the oldest meme.
language is a meme
I'm pretty sure that the word "OK" exists in almost every language. It's fascinating how universal it is.
2:42 Isn't O "- - -" in morse code? Is that chart in the back some outdated version?
first of all you're correct - - - is O (like in SOS . . . - - - . . .)
but i also noticed it, researched it for like 2 minutes and no i don't think it ever changed
prolly editing
wait why are you verified
18th Century: Oll Korrect
19th Century: OK
20th Century: Okay
21st Century: K
It started in the 1830s, which would mean it started in the 19th century
2200:
People are too tired to even say k.
@A They literally said in the video that the fad of misspelling things and then abbreviating it started in the 1830s. Presumably, people would have written and said “all correct” before then, if anything.
@A Unless the deliberate misspelling has history beyond the trend of misspelled abbreviations in the 1800s (which would have had to existed exclusively in print), “oll korrect” wouldn’t have existed at all prior to the abbreviation.
@A Exactly, OK and “Oll Korrect” were created at the same time, and that time was the 1830s, or the 19th century.
150 Years from now.
Future : Why do we say LOL?
This is already a normal word in dutch
For any historians: It's from the Dutch word "lol" obviously. It means "fun."
Lawwwwwl
It took texting to get people today to do the same thing..lol
CyberSynGang lol stands for laughing out loud
"Annie are you OK? Are you OK, Annie?"
This clip from the song especially shows how recognizable the word is.
First responders in CPR and First Aid classes are often trained to immediately ask "Are you OK." Not 'all right' or 'awake' or 'hurt', but 'OK' because a non-English speaking victim will likely recognize the word.
That dude who wrote "ok" on Boston morning post should get a Noble peace prize and Most influential person award
This video is wrong. Okay actually comes from the Choctaw word “okeh” look at Jim Fay’s PhD work in 2007
I’m so glad we got “ok” instead of “ac”
All correct😂
Ac
Or "AK"
Air conditioner
@@greenme770 thats what i was thinking
Me:
I want some mind blowing facts
Vox: OK
Lmao underrated comment
Marissa Bustamante thanks mate, have a nice day 👍
Ha ha, good one!
@@adriangabriellabadan626 Ok mate!!
This comment is pure genius
So basically an inside joke turned into a meme that defined history. That's kool
I remember a moment where I was struck with the importance of this word. When I was in a small rural town here in México and at the grocery store, the owner, a +60 year old man with not a gram of english language. He used OK in his own internal monologue, not even thinking about it.
It kind of got me thinking about the origins of this word and how its is now part or every language.
This video is wrong. Okay actually comes from the Choctaw work “okeh” look at Jim Fay’s PhD work in 2007
@@heyborttheeditor1608*word
vox : we are running out of ideas
me : ok
vox : yes.
its actually a really interesting case of linguistics.
WRITE THAT DOWN!!!!!
ok
Vox be like: Oh my gott, what an idea! Why didn't I think of that?
I think "Knuff Ced" was the most unexpected part of this video
😂😂
That's true OW.
Yeah, these old dudes had style
Gives a whole nother meaning to KFC.
ickeausberlin36 Knuff Fokken' Ced!
I love videos like these that explain in detail things we usually wonder all the time
This video is wrong. Okay actually comes from the Choctaw word “okeh” look at Jim Fay’s PhD work in 2007
You are right this “word” now features heavily in languages across the world. I had looked in the past, out of idle curiosity, and found very little substantive explanation of the origins. This is really very interesting. I might suggest the two world wars with the movement of US troops around the world help to spread its use.
Are you telling me that "ok" is a meme made by ye olde shitposters
Ye boai
👌🏻
History repeats...
idk y i laughed at this😂
Indeed
So, OK was basically an ancient meme.
1800s isn't really 'ancient'.
Nitish Saxena It certainly is in the sense of memes.
@@colltonrighem I remember it like yesterday.
And probably every word made in today's generation will be considered as an *ancient meme* later on the future
@@colltonrighem ancient for a meme is like 4 years, for one that is centuries old, I would say "primordial"
That's so interesting. I always wondered. It's fascinating to know that silly language fads were coming into use so long ago.
That was actually really interesting and informative. Thanks!
Ok
Ok
Ok
Ok
ok
ok
So it was just a meme that got taken too far
Dantoxism a 18xx "meme"
Yup lol
Since memes were just banned I wonder if we'll be able to say "ok" in Europe
No, it was a meme that died so hard, normies are still using it hundreds of years later.
Hahaha, you re right
I just heard a co-worker saying "ok" as I'm watching this video haha, and I'm from Portugal. Truly a universal word.
The word OK is so amazing and great video Vox :]
Is vox as strong as he purports? Or is it based on his supports?
This whole time I thought OK was shorthand for Okay, but OK preceded okay
exactly what i was thinking
I wish it would have explained why the “ay” was added.
@@raykellysiler8759 Because its english. If anything is spelled as it sounds or is just simple and easy to learn then it must be destroyed and several seemingly random letters added for no reason.
Same reason people sometimes say emcee and deejay instead of MC and DJ.
Ok
the writers at vox take their shower thoughts to a whole new level
I hate to be this person but *their
@@Gentapi5 ok
@@Rydrew05 ok
Ok
@@bait5257 ok
Very interesting! Well worth the time spent watching this; thanks for the video.
I actually wondered where it came from. THANK YOU!
So "OK" is an old meme?.. OK
The oldest of old
First meme?
Would the oldest meme be the idea of forming groups of people? That would cover tribes and maybe early to modern civ
_Vintage memes_
Yes
150 years from now: “Why do We Say ‘LOL’”
It's short for lollygagging which means spending time doing things that are not useful or serious. It's mistakenly believed to be abbreviations of Laughing Out Loud but that was proven to be false by the Urban Dictionary entry dating to 2010 BCE written by the renowned author xx_p*ssyslayer69420_xx
I have a feeling ASAP might be a more likely candidate.
@@SerenityFeueropal ASAP is a misspelled combination of the words "hey sup" which were used as an informal version of the greeting "hello". The reason it was used as an encouragement word to hasten a certain task was that the short yet informal nature of the word conveyed the lack of time and the need to hurry in a friendly fashion to show the other person that you trust him to complete this task at time as if he's your friend
YOLO
@@carlosalvarez4994 YOLO is a compound word of "you low" which means "you're aiming low" to inform someone that you think his ambitions are to low and that he should dare to do now with his life, often by doing so yourself
Strongbad!!!! I cannot believe this video referenced Homestar Runner at the beginning. It's even from the Trogdor episode. OMG. I am so happy. 😂😂😂❤❤
O.K. = ohne Korrektur (="without correction" in German). German editors used this abbreviation when checking articles for newspapers. I read this in another book about German words that are used in other languages like Kaffeepaussi ("coffee" break) in Finnish, Brandmauer (firewall) in Russian, Dach (roof) in Ukrainian, le Waldsterben (forest death) in French, le Neinsager (someone who says no) in Swiss French and so on.
Okay actually comes from the Choctaw word “okeh” look at Jim Fay’s PhD work in 2007
Everyone: "Me an intellectual: Oll Korrect"
Me an intellectual: •• -•-
OK boomer
@@rejiix ok millennial
•• -•- -••• - - - - - - - - • • - •
I keep reading these as "Mean intellectual" because people refuse to use commas
Oll korrect boomer
And I thought O.K. was a shortcut for 'okay'
I think it is
okey
That's backward. Okay is the phonetic, full spelling of what appears to English speakers as an acronym. "OK" came first, and people tried to make it into a "full" word with extra letters.
Okay is the long cut for ok 😂
I really hope it just kidding😂
The fact that it was so easy to say and spell also made it easy for immigrants and people from other cultures to adopt. Like all of Asia loves the word OK.
This video is wrong. Okay actually comes from the Choctaw word “okeh” look at Jim Fay’s PhD work in 2007
Short, simple, fast... Ok! I'm so into those curiosities, that's awesome!
So you're telling me OK was created by a meme
Huskie no ok is a meme 💯 😂😂
Every single idea that can be passed on from one person to another is a meme.
Ok
Language is a meme. It's understanding by the sharing of information.
Huskie Have you even watched this video?
I am no longer saying "OK" from this day forward I shall say "Oll Korrect"
Ok
Ok xoomer
Ok
@HQ Night ok aommer
oll korrect
I appreciate the little clip from Mtv's The State!!
I've never thought about this question before but its good to know more about the word I frequently spoke!!
So ok is basically a historic meme
My thoughts exactly
? All words are.
OK
Will Suttie
Mmm, not quite. If I have Dawkins thesis on the matter pegged, the difference between a meme word and a regular one, is that regular ones have no conscience, pinpointable origin, they just evolved very slowly over enormous spans of time. A meme is a deliberate, initially inorganic fashion inserted into the cultural zeitgeist That THEN becomes an organic force with lasting power.
@@eldermillennial8330 No, a meme being a meme comes from the spreading, wheter it was created with an intention or not, as long as it has the capacity of self replication it is a meme.
So yeah all words are actually memes.
2018: Why we say "OK"
2050: Why we say "Oof"
2100: Why we say "E"
Danial W. I think for that last one you meant “O”
E?
2115: why we say "Yeet"
@@srishtilakhotia8832 its a meme, that died a year ago
@@josephhugotjiong6741 yeah, but what does (or did) it mean?
What an excellent video!!
One of the most interesting videos I have ever seen.
Weird flex but “ok”
YoNo oof
weird flex, but oll korrect
YoNo yeet
Ko
yu a real one.
"OK" the longest living meme
Soft Taco
“Goodbye” might hold that title.
It began in Early Modern English as a written shorthand for the common parting phrase: “god be with ye”
“God Be With Ye”
God B Wi’ Ye
God BW Ye
Goodbye
Zachary Taylor o - but goodbye doesn't have much universal meaning. Goodbye wasn't really slang. It's just a shortened word
| ||
|| | _
Tool use, farming and religion are all memes...
@@emersonb1664
Stop
A second part of this video explaining why it is also the most recognisable and used word in so many different languages would be amazing.
Ok, we got it
in year 2069 :
why we “UwU”
John Bradley DID SOMEONE SAY UwU?!
owo what’s this?
Aesxop that would be an owo
Jelloette ok thanks👍
can we do that NOW
Kids: OK
Adults: Okay
Legends: K
Ultra Legends: Kay
Gods: _Oll KoRReCt_
Even further beyond : Boomer
How about Otey? 😂
You forgot the level above Gods.
Scots: Och Aye.
Me:potassium
Me: whatever..
Good video, as usual, Coleman!
You say: *OK*
I say: *Okay*
_we are not the same_
Vox : Here's a ton of information about OK
Me : OK.
Ok
Ok
Ok
Ok
Ok
*Mentions how K used to replace C's in advertising*
Me: Oh, so THAT'S why it's spelt the Krusty Krab
Sponge Boy Me Bob!
MORTAL KOMBAT
"What town did you say you were from again?"
"I said, Tulsa, OK?"
Interesting story, thank you for researching it :)
Everyone says "oll korrect boomer"
But no one asks, "are you oll korrect, boomer?"
3/18/24: woah what was I doing 4 years ago
Cause Boomers are Boomers. They don't deserve to be asked😤 (btw, looks like I'm a Boomer too😞)
@@PrinceKashyap.
I still don't understand the generational blame game.
@@AChunkyDog I feel u mate, even I don't get it. But it's all just a meme, so don't wrap your head around it. Just enjoy the silliness and take a good laugh😃
Prince Kashyap boomer isnt a meme , its an actual use. People born near WWII Were called baby Boomers.
Because “Boom” Ment like “Bomb boom”
Its just a common term for old.
Its the Boomer Humour thats funny
@@dr.kj10 Ok Baby-boomer😊
Vox is the dude in class that corrects the teacher
Mt. me yup
vox: *raises hand* ackchyually
Tasking Ooksse I did not want to go there
I did that😁
Superbly done.
A question I never thought about always turns out to be the most interesting.
I guess I’ll start saying “Oll korrect”
Ok
Ok
Ja
Oll korrect.
Ok
Answering questions I didn't know I had, excellent.
Ok.
Anime Balls Deep so you watch these guys too, huh? Ok
TOURISTS COMMITTING CRIMES~! DEPORT ALL FOREIGNERS~! CLOSE THE JAPANESE BORDER~!
junjunhaha People don’t go in droves to Japan, hun. It’s too expensive. Plus their borders aren’t that open. Focus on something more important, OK?
@@junjunhaha
Stupid idiotic weeb.
Well researched!
This was shockingly awesome
Hi how are you?
Me: *OLL KORRECT*
Lol, my thoughts exactly
I'm gonna start saying that now xD
Oll Korrect, that was pretty funny.
Oll Korrect, This is epic.
It's legit just a meme
what kind of meme lasts more than 2 weeks?
Rondo true most a week
look up the legit definition of meme, by Richard Dawkins coinage.
Those 19th century dandies wwould have felt right at home in Modern Kekistan.
Rondo robbie rotten
Will never see OK the same again.
This video is wrong. Okay actually comes from the Choctaw word “okeh” look at Jim Fay’s PhD work in 2007
This is so awesome! OK is universal
A couple of boiz who took a meme way too far
Then deep fried words
what they did was Korrect
@@josk8319 it was Oll Korrekt
@@jetlaeg4046 shush child
LOL 😄
The biggest meme out there was hiding under our noses this hole time
K
exaxtly what i thought too lol
ok
Oh the tone and inflection used when saying those two letters conveys so much. Especially if a teenager says it and adds and eyerolls. Like OK.....eyeroll.....boomer. I prefer alrighty then or okely dokely.
I’ve wondered about this for yearrssss
imagine being an ✨intellectual✨ from the 1830s and sharing a joke about a made up abbreviation to your friend in boston, unknowing that you just made one of the most popular words in english
-ˏˋ mayaaa ˎˊ- Its also a word in Hebrew , and in most spoken languages
Just in english ? I am Brazilian and I always say ok when I am speaking my language
It’s the most common used word in the WORLD
Most popular word in human history*
Same here in german
“The Krave for K is a visual strategy”
The kadarshians did research before naming their daughters huh
No. I'm pretty sure they thought that's how the name was actually spelled.
Sri 😂😂 i just realised that
They said more "Ok" in 30 seconds than I would say in 30 lifetimes
something about making an alternative language by misspelling words is so much fun
So back in the 1800's memes didn't die within a week??
mattronimus most of them prob did. It’s cultural evolution; survival of the fittest. Whichever memes are most fit tend to survive over time.
😂😂😂😂
I mean the dab is also still alive for some reason
Also, we tend to pretend memes are dead just because we get annoyed with them. no matter how much we try and convince ourselves, it's been a year, and "Do you kno de wey?" is still alive. X(
So back in 1800 they said lol?
1830's slang was lit, KC.
KY good sir
It's OW sir.
KC indeed.
LK
HG,High Ground
You switched my lights off in the living room!!!
Man I didn’t realize how much it was said as I was watching this I took a phone call. Ok was said so much! It was hard to concentrate on the actual convo.
OK is a never ending meme.
The only meme in history that has never died.
@@musicman8345
I'm guessing you've never heard of LOSS
Well, seen as the EU has passed article 13 now, it might just suddenly come to its end after all
@@john_voske
Nah it's *to* embedded
I can't even make myself stop saying ok.
You try srsly
the secret recipe for the greatest - longest running meme of all time is buried with it's maestro.
godbless the first meme master for this quirky yet dankest meme.
So this is actually a 1800s viral meme that stuck forever!
Probably how LOL is gonna in 100 years
Michael McNamara hahaha trueee
Yep
Papa bless
Gabriel Borjas Garcia don’t you mean lol?
Can you imagine when you back to the time where "ok" not exist and then you say "ok" to someone
i love videos like this
So OK is an eternal meme?
I'd say yes
:0
OK
Ok
Yep. Meme that went mainstream. Technically ANY cultural idea that spreads counts as a (successful) meme, including stuff like "how to make fire" and "the wheel". But in the modern, slangy sense of the word "meme"? Yeah, "OK" is totally one of those.
are you _oll korrect?_
Yep
Oll korrect
rei LOL yes.
No. You are all all left
"X X X X"
I love this so much ♥️
I love the Homestar reference 😆👌🏻
Ok
I've never actually realized how much I use that word in real life
ok mr dominos guy
Ok I guess
Ayyyyyyyyyyy it's my boy taikamuna, how's it going with the dominoes?
Hm~
Ok
If "ok" was a meme and now it is most used word, that means the word "bruh" can be most used word in the future 🤔
Uh, i guess it's already overused....
It is used around the world now
Bruh 💀
Bruh
NO K
Using this for my next class!!!
These videos hurt my brain but also fill it
damn bro. we've been meming for centuries
Estradist ok
Im so proud
humans been memeing since the beginning of civilization :)
What do you think trifold paintings are man? The medieval version of like a tier 3 meme.
There is nothing new under the sun ! Everything we have today existed one way or another since the frist civilizations, even before the end of the ice age.
Knuff ced sounds gangsta
when they wait whta does k-nuff c-ed even meanm
enough said im gonnna leave nowe
Yep, KC.
"Kaysee"? 2020-10-24
enough said
now thats a fascinating video