Hidden in Plain Sight: Probable African-Derived Vocabulary Items in U.S. English
(Sixth in a series
By E. Osborne)
At last, the final installment in this series. Stay tuned for forthcoming language-related investigations and other offerings.
N
na (prep.):
A form meaning variously “in,” “at,” and “to” in Gullah/BEV constructions such as E na house (“He’s in the house”) and She gone na store (“She went to the store”). Taylor (1953 ) cites as a possible source Igbo na, with the various meanings of “in,” “on,” “at,” and “to.” An equally possible etymology is Soninke ma, “at, in.”
nab (v.):
To catch in the act; to arrest; seize. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the term, in use in the United States since the early 1800s, as meaning “seize.” And this definition fits precisely that of the Fulfulde verb nab, “to take away” or “carry away” (FSI Fula).
nana/na (n.):
1. Mother. 2. Grandmother. 3. A respectful term of address to an elderly woman. 4. A nurse or nursemaid. Analogues exist in several West African languages, any one of which could be the source: Pepel nána, “mother”; Temne na, “mother”; Fon na and nanà, “mother”; Adele nã, “mother”; Efik n’né, a term of…
