Sorry, I didn't read "call attention" quite that way. On Sep 3, 2010, at 1:55 PM, Craig Hancock wrote: > Ed, > That would be the call attention part, which I didn't give an > example for, but yours works well. I agree that it's cross racial. > The ritual greeting I THINK is black influenced. > > Craig > > Edgar Schuster wrote: >> >> When I was a kid in Philadelphia we would sometimes stand outside >> of a friend's house and yell, "Yo, Eddie," until the friend came >> out to play baseball or football, whichever season was on. So it >> isn't just for ritual greetings, Craig, or at least it wasn't some >> 60 years ago. >> >> Ed S >> >> On Sep 3, 2010, at 11:44 AM, Craig Hancock wrote: >> >>> Patricia, >>> The song was actually written by Gershwin (the music) in >>> deliberate attempt to compose something that would sound like a >>> folk song. This is from Wikipedia: >>> Musicologist K. J. McElrath wrote of the song: >>> >>> "Gershwin was remarkably successful in his intent to have this >>> sound like a folk song. This is reinforced by his extensive use of >>> the pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A) in the context of the A minor >>> tonality and a slow-moving harmonic progression that suggests a >>> “blues.” Because of these factors, this tune has been a favorite >>> of jazz performers for decades and can be done in a variety of >>> tempos and styles." >>> >>> The lyricist (Dubose Heyward) wrote the novel (Porgy) on which the >>> play is based. He would have attempted to write it "in >>> character" (his attempt at a black southern dialect of the time.) >>> >>> When I was first learning jazz guitar, it was one of the first >>> songs I learned, and I have come back to it time and again because >>> it has been done so well in so many different ways with so many >>> nuances. As i grow as a musician, the song accomodates that very >>> well. Like many performers, though, I wouldn't presume to sound >>> like a black woman and use what comes natural to me--"yur", which >>> would rhyme (in my dialect) with "fur" and "stir". >>> Up north now, "yo" is used to call attention or in ritual >>> greeting, as in "Yo, 'sup?" for "hello, what's up?" >>> Craig >>> >>> Patricia Lafayllve wrote: >>>> >>>> I wonder if that's not what I call "folk song drift" (there's >>>> probably a >>>> more formal term for the phenomenon). Every person interprets a >>>> song/arranges a song differently, and what I see in folk music is >>>> a lot of >>>> word replacement/phrase shifting. Sometimes its deliberate and >>>> for the >>>> best: "Johnny Come Down to Hilo" originally opened with "Never >>>> seen the like >>>> since I been born, a big buck nigger with his sea boots on." >>>> Clearly not >>>> appropriate for a modern audience! The Mystic Seaport's chanty >>>> men changed >>>> the line to "Never seen the like since I was born, an Arkansas >>>> farmer with >>>> his sea boots on." The meaning is the same, but avoids the >>>> inappropriate >>>> terminology. Other times it's a matter of the singer remembering >>>> a line >>>> wrong, or adding a new phrase to an old tune, or even forgetting >>>> the lyrics >>>> and improvising. >>>> >>>> I'm not sure what the original line was in Summertime; I know >>>> Sarah Vaughan >>>> sang: "Oh your Daddy's rich and your Ma's good lookin'", for >>>> whatever that's >>>> worth. >>>> >>>> -patty >>>> >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar >>>> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >>>> interface at: >>>> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >>>> and select "Join or leave the list" >>>> >>>> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ >>>> >> >> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >> interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and >> select "Join or leave the list" >> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ >> > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web > interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and > select "Join or leave the list" > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/