The abbreviation is OK recognized as the most popular word on the planet. It is present at any given modification practically in all languages of the world and besides is an integral part of the interface of computer programs. However the origin of this capacious and multiple-valued word remains a riddle for researchers to this day.
History of emergence
The word OK was born in English more than one and a half hundred years ago, and still there is no consensus concerning its origin. In total there are about twenty various options of its emergence, but is only a two-three from them similar to the truth.
One of the most widespread versions says that in the 1830th years in Boston in the course there were various comic reductions and intended distortions of words, in particular ""oll korrect"" (instead of ""all correct""). From here allegedly O.K. abbreviation also went.
Other legend tells about an election campaign of 1840 of the U.S. President Martin Van Buren. He was a native of the town Kinderhook and chose to himself the pseudonym Old Kinderhook. Its slogan sounded as follows: ""Old Kinderhook is O.K. "". According to other, similar hypothesis, the president Andrew Jackson was semiliterate and wrote as heard: instead of ""all correct"" – ""oll korrekt"". However, this hypothesis is based mainly on gossips and rumors.
Officially day of emergence of an abbreviation OK it is considered on March 23, 1839.
Anyway, at the beginning of the XX century the abbreviation began to gain popularity and stopped being slang distortion like a present "preved". The word OK began to flash in business correspondence, its use stopped being something shameful. Later a couple of decades it was borrowed by many other languages. Also up to the 60th years of the 20th century there was an opinion that the word OK can come from language of the indigenous American people of Choctaw. Till 1961 also originators of a number of authoritative dictionaries, including the dictionary by Webster adhered to this version.
National versions
Professor of English and the author of the book "OK. tall tale of the greatest word of America" Allan Metcalf believes that so far as for certain it is not possible to establish origin of the word OK, each people have the right to consider that it has roots in its language.
Some residents of Oklahoma believe to this day that OK – only reduction of the name of their native state.
Really, there is great variety of so-called folklore versions of origin of this capacious abbreviation. The French consider that it came from the southern French dialects: in Occitan and on a Gascon adverb OK means ("oc") "yes", "well". Greeks believe that OK – reduction of expression of Ola Kala ("Everything is good") used in the USA by the Greek sailors and stackers of rails. According to the German version, it is OK deciphered as ""ohne Korrektur"" – "without amendments": such mark was given by the German proofreaders on articles going to the press.