Institutional Affiliations

Institutional Affiliations
Different people have tried to explain the origin of the word ‘ok.’ Many documents indicate that it gained popularity in the mid-nineteenth century. However, there is no historical or linguistic evidence when it surfaced. Some historical sources associate it to the Scottish expression och aye, where other claim it originated from the Greek term ola kala that means ‘it is good.’ There are other words that have similar pronunciation to ok such as the indian oke or okeh that means ‘it is so’, the French aux cayes (derived from Cayes, a port in Haiti with a history of good rum) or au quai which was a language used by the French dockers. A more justifiable source is that used in the US in the early 1830s. it is indicated that the word was a misspelling of the statement ‘all correct’. After that it was used as a slogan by the Democratic Party in the 1840s election. The presidential candidate was then Old Kinderhook whose initials reflected ok. As a result, people chanted the short form throughout the campaign that referred his as the suitable candidate for presidency. It led to the formation of the OK club that definitely popularized the word. Further, the world was used by the black slaves who originated from West Africa. They used it to mean ‘all right or yes indeed.’ This also seems a plausible explanation.
According to the Oxford dictionary, the word ok is used to denote an expression of assent, acceptance or agreement. Most people use it to indicate that something is alright, well, good or fair enough.

However, it has other connoted meanings such as to indicate authorization or approval. An example is when a manager indicates the word in a tender document. This would mean that they have approved whatever is in the document. The word ok has changed in pronunciation and spelling over the years. What started as ‘oll korrect’ changed to a grammatical ok. However, it is exchangeable used with the word okay although K is regarded as an abbreviation of the later. Both have a similar definition that is to mean acceptance as indicated in the Oxford dictionary (“What is the origin of the word ‘OK’? | Oxford Dictionaries”, 2016).
The modern generation has devised other slang ways of writing the word. Some just write the letter ‘k’ such as in chat media where others write it as ‘okie.’ They are, however, not using the word for its actual meaning. In some hidden languages, it may be used to mean a totally different thing than just showing an agreement. However, its usage depends on the persons and the intended impression. It may be used as an irony or just an approval. When ‘e’ is stressed in a conversation, it indicates that one is no longer interested in the discussion or is simply buying time to think about it. However, the most current usage is to encourage a conversation. Whenever two people engage in a discussion, then the listener continues mentioning the word ‘ok’ first to indicate that they are listening and secondly to encourage them to continue talking. It is also used to indicate a stand-alone question ‘ok?’. This prompts for a further explanation of what was being discussed or an indication to the listener that they have conferred with what was being said. It is used this way when teaching or addressing people. The most recent way to say ok is by use of a gesture where the index figure is made to touch the thumb forming a circle while raising the other figures.

References
Nuwer, R. (2016). How the Word “OK” Was Invented 175 Years Ago. Smithsonian. Retrieved 30 November 2016, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-word-ok-was-invented-175-years-ago-180953258/
What is the origin of the word ‘OK’? | Oxford Dictionaries. (2016). Oxford Dictionaries | English. Retrieved 30 November 2016, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/what-is-the-origin-of-the-word-ok