The Word Flip
The other day I was talking with my daughter’s friend’s parent. The conversation went into variety of topics, one topic had my mind wandering to the question of how did we get here?
The topic: etymology of names.
Every name has a meaning behind it and a story about how their parents came up with that name. Name entomology can impact the history and possible future of the person. We continued conversing about where and how things got started the possible why’s and some solutions.
When I sat down after a long day it kept eating at me, how did we get here, when did the Flip happen and why?
There’s a lot to unpack, and no, it can’t happen all in this blog.
Instead we’ll take a few bites/words tracing /tracking how , why, who,what,when and where the changes “Flip” happened.
Today’s word is Bully- this particular word I’ve heard on many occasions in the last 274 days.
We all know this negatively charged word and the implications of someone being labeled a bully.
Where did the word bully originate? …
The word bully according to Webster Dictionary : a blustering, browbeating person
especially : one who is habitually cruel, insulting, or threatening to others who are weaker, smaller, or in some way vulnerable
This definition is used frequently and most known in Western society.
But how was it first used?
The origin of Bully has Dutch roots, boel- meaning lover, brother/ mate. Other uses include pleasure or fate.
In 16th century (Early Modern English) the English used it as a term of endearment- gender fluid; A excellent person, it was more soft and affectionate.
By the 17 century it flipped completely into a similar definition we have today. A protector of prostitutes.
A brutish person with threatening behavior to persons who are weaker.
Shakespeare’s use of the word change the context to : a swagger a bully, a “ragged fellow”
By the 1710 the context changed from brother, ragged fellow to overbear.
The shift from positive to negative has an antecedent ,admiration , admiration for telling a story.
Shakespeare’s strong influence on Western culture has impacted a lot of the ways words are used today.
What about how other cultures use the word?
Bully in Japanese; kanji- いじめ - ijime. Ijimekko-いじめっ子 (a bully child) means harassment,teasing- when it’s persistent, or systematic harassment.
Culturally bullying in English vs Japanese language has distinguishing characteristic differences . Let’s unpack the kanji further 荷 core meaning torment, oppress, harass. Classical Japanese usage -to scold or reprimand.
Similar meaning in word family associated with the attributes of the word bully.
The English meaning of bully being used interchangeably in many instances limiting the seriousness , other cultures like Japanese is more rooted in cultural meaning.
The word flip is difficult to create when the root meaning is engraved into the cultural landscape. Words with historically change through cultural norms are more likely and able to be interpreted in a variety of contexts.
People’s reactions to a word like bully is based on the historical uses of the word. The lack of seriousness and consistency allows the western world to use it in a variety of ways limiting the impact of this particular word.
