Ofay Draft
Ofay[edit]
Definition and Etymology[edit]
Ofay is a pejorative term used by Black persons to describe a white person.[1] The etymology of the term ofay is unknown, but there are several theories that have been put forth. One is that it is actually derived from the word “foe” in pig latin. Gangland immigrants used the expression “ixnay ofay” as a special code referring to police and other authorities,[2] no doubt giving rise to the theory that the word ofay is also in pig latin. However, this connection is unlikely since the first use of the word (1899)[3] is older than any use of the word foe by Black people to refer to white people.[4] Another theory is that ofay is a cognate for the French term au fait,[4] which translates as “to the point” or as an adjective meaning someone who is fully informed or familiar with a particular piece of knowledge. In an article in the 1932 journal Africa, the author attributes the Ibibio word Afia, which means white or light colored, to the African source of the word. (VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XIX No 1) Another theory that persists is that ofay comes from West African slaves who would say “Yoruba ofe,” a quick prayer offered up asking to be delivered from danger.[5] The expression over time came to represent the danger itself, ie., the white person.
Usage in Literature[edit]
The word appears in various literary works of the 20th century. For example, Nella Larsen, a novelist from the Harlem Renaissance, uses it in her novel Passing, 1929 in Part 2, chapter 3. “We got to talking. In less than five minutes, I knew she was ‘fay.’” (56). In 1969, Frank Cucci wrote a play called “The Ofay Watcher".[6] Danny Gardner, author of The Negro and the Ofay, defines the term thus: White people of a particular economic and social status who commonly oppress Negroes through displays of power, authority and privilege. While all ofays are white, few whites are ofays.”[7] In modern usage, Jimmie Mason, a teacher in a predominantly brown high school in Pasadena, California puts the word ofay on the list of disallowed vocabulary in her classroom (along with chink, honkey, coon, nigger, spick, beaner, wop, dago, etc).[8]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Definition of "ofay"". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ↑ Thorne, Tony. "Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, Third Edition; Tony Thorne (A & C Black, 2005).pdf". Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ↑ "Ofay". Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Merriam Webster New Book of Word Histories. https://books.google.com/books?id=IrcZEZ1bOJsC&pg=PA327&dq=ofay&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj5-qKTt4jbAhUCxmMKHbPtAd4Q6AEIPTAE#v=onepage&q=ofay&f=false: Merriam-Webster Inc. 1991. p. 327. Search this book on
- ↑ "Ofay". Dictionary.com. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ↑ Cucci, Frank (1970). The Ofay Watcher. https://books.google.com/books?id=rccPAQAAIAAJ&q=ofay&dq=ofay&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj5jarCxYjbAhVK4mMKHYq1DMUQ6AEINDAC: Dramatist's Play Service, Inc. pp. 2, 3, 5. Search this book on
- ↑ Editor (February 17, 2016). "Danny Gardner - Conversation No. 16". Digging Through the Fat. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ↑ Hulbert, C. (1992). Social Issues in the English Classroom. NationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish,1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED349574.pdf#page=234. p. 234. ISBN 0-8141-4504-3. line feed character in
|location=at position 78 (help) Search this book on
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