tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post8649879080060719900..comments2024-03-28T07:58:41.643-04:00Comments on pancocojams: What "Ah Sookie Sookie Now" Means Azizi Powellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-16848050899391733112023-09-08T14:04:37.126-04:002023-09-08T14:04:37.126-04:00I don't know why I keep making mistakes with t...I don't know why I keep making mistakes with this comment. :o)<br />I meant to write "As an aside, I have to keep reminding myself that the word "na" that I come across in Nigerian Pidgin English and other West African language doesn't mean "no" like it does in African American Vernacular English"...Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-46315408026222019992023-09-08T13:34:46.542-04:002023-09-08T13:34:46.542-04:00Adrienne Ijioma, thanks for your comment. I'm ...Adrienne Ijioma, thanks for your comment. I'm glad you came across this blog post.<br /><br />I've noticed the similarities between Yoruba and other traditional languages from Nigeria and Japanese. I'm not a linguist so I don't have any ideas why that is.<br /><br />Also, unfortunately I don't know understand any spoken or written language besides English.<br /><br />The African American Vernacular English (AAVE) saying "Ah sookie sookie now" is documented at least from the 1960s and may be given as "ah sookie sookie" or "ah sookie sookie na" , but I believe that the word "na" in those examples (pronounced "nah") is a mistaken attempt of approximating the way some Black Americans say "now". By the way, "sookie" rhymes with the words "look-key". (A similarly spelled English word "sooey" is a shout for pigs to come to the caller.That word is pronounced like "sue-e" [with "Sue" pronounced the same as the female name]<br /><br />As an aside, I have reminding myself that the "na" that I come across in Nigerian Pidgin English and other West African languages doesn't mean "no" like it does in African American Vernacular English (and from that source, other forms of English). I don't know why "na" (or "naw") came to mean "no" in AAVE.<br /><br />Adrienne, please check out other pancocojams posts on Nigerian culture and other subjects. Your insights and contributions would be greatly appreciated.<br /><br />Please any other replies you may have received as I corrected my reply to you several times.<br /><br />Best wishes from your sister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-56943057464387949832023-09-08T12:27:17.147-04:002023-09-08T12:27:17.147-04:00It's September 2023, and a friend just posted ...It's September 2023, and a friend just posted a picture of herself on FB. My immediate response was 'Ah suki suki na' but I came to Google for correct spelling and found this years long discussion. Awesome! <br /><br />My friend looks sensational in her dress and my response was in harmony with the blogger, though I'm not a guy. I support her sexy vibe and anyone that I know understands the meaning of it as such. She looks sweet! She looks fine! She's doing her thing, strutting her stuff and looking good with it.<br /><br />I'm 53 and have known this phrase from a young age. Never knew anything about Japanese wording. I also don't know why I spelled it as I did. It came naturally. But I'm also a former English teacher and international traveller. <br /><br />Although 'suki suki na' has reference to romantic love expression in Japanese, the pronunciation is different and I had no idea about that before researching it today. <br /><br />The "na" for me means now and it's purely from Nigerian Pidgin English. So I will change my spelling to sookie sookie and move on with my day.<br /><br />But this thread has been massively interesting and educational!Adrienne Ijiomahttps://www.jessvaughnwrites.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-6448174384484847762023-03-29T21:53:14.479-04:002023-03-29T21:53:14.479-04:00Anonymous, thanks for sharing that information abo...Anonymous, thanks for sharing that information about Van Jones saying "Ah Sookie Sookie Now" when he learned information about his family tree from Henry Louis Gates.<br /><br />I'll be on the look out for that video.<br /><br />Like you said, THIS is an example of how the internet works<br /><br />. <br />It sure seems that almost everything is somewhere on the internet. <br /><br /><br />Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-4059991483598030892023-03-29T20:15:41.785-04:002023-03-29T20:15:41.785-04:00Watching Henry Louis Gates climb CNN’s Van Jones f...Watching Henry Louis Gates climb CNN’s Van Jones family tree on PBS’ Finding Your Roots on 3/28/23, was surprised to hear Van toss off a Ah, Sookie Sookie Now after hearing some fascinating information, so I came here to find out its meaning/usage. <br />I DVRd the bit, but am unable to upload it here, so dig around for it if you’re of a mind to….<br />(Man, THIS is why the Internet, amiright?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-59479291037338727732021-09-20T08:10:29.170-04:002021-09-20T08:10:29.170-04:00Greetings, Noelle.
The Unknown/Anonymous commente...Greetings, Noelle.<br /><br />The Unknown/Anonymous commenter who wrote that comment in 2016 attributing the African American Vernacular English associated/originated saying "ah sookie sookie" saying to Japanese may not read your comment disputing that. However, other people will read it. <br /><br />I thank you for that.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-120015197284942982021-09-20T08:07:29.034-04:002021-09-20T08:07:29.034-04:00As Black American, I can remember my mom saying th...As Black American, I can remember my mom saying this all of the time when I was a kid. She always used it as a compliment. So, if we had chosen an outfit that she especially liked, or if we had done something good in school the response was "aw, sookie sookie now". When speaking to a number of my other Black friends, they have expressed similar experience. Obviously none of us speak for all Black people, but I thought I would share anyway. <br /><br />I also speak Japanese, and I think people are being, frankly silly by trying to force the way it is used by African Americans into being the same thing as Japanese. My Poppy, who served in the war came home with a few new Japanese phrases that he did use on his children frequently. But "Suki" or sookie" was not one of them. Noellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-18523962802213637582021-09-20T08:00:46.126-04:002021-09-20T08:00:46.126-04:00Hello Anonymous,
I doubt that you will see this, a...Hello Anonymous,<br />I doubt that you will see this, as it has been years, but I wanted to address you apparent condescension. <br /><br />As a Black person who also speaks Japanese, you are referencing two different phrases and trying desperately to erase the way that it is used by a number of Black Americans, only because you know there is a similar sounding word in Japanese. <br /><br />The AAVE version of "ah, sookie sookie now" likely has very little to do with ”好きです”. And if it does have roots in the Japanese word, then it has certainly grown and changed, you know, the way that most vernaculars, and dialects do.<br /><br />So, yes 好きです belongs to the Japanese. But please try to be less obtuse when referencing phrases that just sound similar, but have absolutely developed their own rich history and usage by another group. Noellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-51143832189130997222021-08-04T12:09:13.903-04:002021-08-04T12:09:13.903-04:00Thanks for sharing that information, Anonymous. Un...Thanks for sharing that information, Anonymous. Unfortunately, I can't add a sound file of Don Covey's record to this post. However, I added a hyperlink for a sound file after the sound file for Steppenwolf's cover record. <br /><br />Best wishes! Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-37657157852507463562021-08-04T11:03:47.822-04:002021-08-04T11:03:47.822-04:00"Sookie Sookie" by Dave Covey, 1965: htt..."Sookie Sookie" by Dave Covey, 1965: https://youtu.be/A8geTmxYTwg<br />The Steppenwolf version is a less soulful cover of Covey's song. Let's give Covey credit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-64656570347242716132021-05-16T08:08:57.656-04:002021-05-16T08:08:57.656-04:00Here's a comment that wrote in 2008 about Celi...Here's a comment that wrote in 2008 about Celia Cruz in a Mudcat discussion thread about Zap Mama's version of "Iko Iko"<br /><a href="https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=88125" rel="nofollow">https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=88125</a><br />...In a number of her songs, Celia Cruz shouts the word "Azucar!, the Spanish word for "sugar". Shouting "Azucar!" became a signature feature of Celia Cruz's songs. Fans of Celia Cruz also adopted that custom, in a demonstration of their delight in this wonderful Latin vocalist, and in appreciation for her music. Celia Cruz's signature use of the word "azucar" can be interpreted to mean that the music is sweet {It's good to the ears, heart, and spirit}, and/or "life is sweet".<br /><br />Given this information, it now seems likely to me that Celia Cruz's use of this word was the source or at least one of the sources for the phrase "azucar azucar mama" in the Zap Mama version of "Iko Iko"."..<br />Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-19644067765982612632021-05-14T09:01:49.030-04:002021-05-14T09:01:49.030-04:00In re-reading this 2013 pancocojams post (because ...In re-reading this 2013 pancocojams post (because a visitor comment was added to it), I realize that I didn't write anything about Cuban American Celia Cruz' use of the word "azucar".<br /><br />Here's an excerpt from this article about Celia Cruz:<br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4660698" rel="nofollow">https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4660698</a> Celia Cruz: Her Life and Music<br />May 21, 2005; Heard on All Things Considered; Felix Contreras<br />"For six decades, Cuban singer Celia Cruz reigned as the Queen of Salsa. Her life and colorful career are the subject of a retrospective exhibit at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.<br /><br />[... includes more narrative and also includes photos of Celia Cruz]<br /><br /><br />The exhibit is called "Azucar, the Life and Music of Celia Cruz." Azucar literally means "sugar," but as Perez notes, it served Cruz as a "battle cry" and an allusion to African slaves who worked Cuba's sugar plantations."Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-80545865917778418082021-05-14T08:52:49.475-04:002021-05-14T08:52:49.475-04:00Unknown, thanks for your comment.
In the post abo...Unknown, thanks for your comment.<br /><br />In the post about the meaning of the saying "Ah Sookie Sookie now", I mentioned the Spanish word "azucar" and the French word "sucre". Both of those words mean "sugar". <br /><br />I believe "azuquita" means "little sugar". I don't know whether "Zuki" is an actual shortened form of that nickname in Spanish cultures, but I can see how you derived that nickname from "azuquita".<br /><br />As a reminder to you and others, my focus in this post wasn't about the meaning of the word "sookie". My focus was on the meaning of the phrase "ah sookie sookie (now)". <br /><br />As such, I still believe that phrase was/is used to by men to compliment an attractive woman.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-41918395997813241392021-05-14T02:25:26.583-04:002021-05-14T02:25:26.583-04:00I thought suki suki now, was short for sugar sugar...I thought suki suki now, was short for sugar sugar in spanish, azuquita. I named my dog zuki short for azuquita Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12490028724423713089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-6275452302572487362020-12-14T06:18:18.701-05:002020-12-14T06:18:18.701-05:00Thanks to Miszjguilloryrance for sending a comment...Thanks to Miszjguilloryrance for sending a comment about "sookie sookie" on December 13, 2020 at 10:09 PM. I'm quoting it because I don't post comments with email addresses.<br /><br />"I’ve always used this term and have had responses as “ watch out now “!! It strikes fear into people that don’t know what’s going to happen next. The expression on their face is priceless"Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-56352206276811470992020-07-13T10:54:04.046-04:002020-07-13T10:54:04.046-04:00Thanks for that information, Unknown.Thanks for that information, Unknown.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-24177364409458126242020-07-11T13:09:04.951-04:002020-07-11T13:09:04.951-04:00Steppenwolf's Sookie Sookie in 1968 was appare...Steppenwolf's Sookie Sookie in 1968 was apparently a cover of Don Covay's 1966 song. Unfortunate but unsurprising that the cover by the more famous band is the main result when you look up the title. <br /><br />https://g.co/kgs/GFfEUhAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04706045677831070749noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-47145602157714131042019-11-28T01:31:40.053-05:002019-11-28T01:31:40.053-05:00Which song in the Beetlejuice movie are you thinki...Which song in the Beetlejuice movie are you thinking of, Unknown?Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-6651356379093753672019-11-28T00:58:47.064-05:002019-11-28T00:58:47.064-05:00zap mama song reminds me of a beetle juice song!zap mama song reminds me of a beetle juice song!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03394859926348643567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-21353384301114668052019-01-11T20:12:54.112-05:002019-01-11T20:12:54.112-05:00Thanks for your comment, Brenna.
I appreciate you...Thanks for your comment, Brenna.<br /><br />I appreciate your input and I agree with what you wrote.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-42661397447219137242019-01-11T18:40:54.731-05:002019-01-11T18:40:54.731-05:00Brenna, thanks for your comment.
I've heard &...Brenna, thanks for your comment.<br /><br />I've heard "ah suki suki now" in some records. <br /><br />I'm also familiar with "ah suki suki" used as a "complimentary" saying said by men when a physically attractive young woman passes by them. On those occasions, "ah suki suki" means something like "There goes a good looking woman".<br /><br />I'm familiar with this saying in New Jersey and Pennsylvania around the 1970s and later. However, I doubt if that saying is only used in the Northern part of the USA. I think it is probably used by Black people more than by non-Black people.<br /><br />I don't know that the meaning is "danger" or "trouble" (as in the men are warning themselves or the women that saying is addressed to. Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-84594909033631629742019-01-11T10:50:54.240-05:002019-01-11T10:50:54.240-05:00I found this blog because I heard the phrase "...I found this blog because I heard the phrase " ah, suki suki now" on the TV show "Living Single". It was used similar to "uh oh,there's gonna be trouble" or " OH NO YOU DIDNT!". I have picked up using it in this context, since I just love the sound of it , haha. <br />I was surprised to find that it's in songs with a different meaning but remember hearing them now. <br />It makes me wonder if maybe it might mean "danger" or "trouble" as in a good looking woman is tempting. Just a thought. I dont know what the source of that meaning would be. <br />I was also wondering if it is more common in any certain part of the US. I live in South Carolina and have never heard it. Of course I AM white, but I'm not totally isolated. Lol. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17000315729404875257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-77231228173708939632019-01-11T10:34:39.761-05:002019-01-11T10:34:39.761-05:00I totally agree asadULTRAwalker, this usage and pr...I totally agree asadULTRAwalker, this usage and pronunciation seems most likely to have traveled from French Creole and into the rest of black culture ,who knows how long ago. Just because it is similar to a Japanese word or phrase doesnt mean anything to this usage being discussed. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17000315729404875257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-11923882195078622932018-06-14T19:47:03.530-04:002018-06-14T19:47:03.530-04:00Thanks for your comment, Anonymous.
I continue to...Thanks for your comment, Anonymous.<br /><br />I continue to believe that the word "suki" in the saying "Ah Suki Suki" that is found in some R&B songs is a compliment to a female regarding her sensuous appearance, and not a name or nickname.Azizi Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14963772326145910073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5893219718076521675.post-90566085715907105582018-06-14T10:53:29.024-04:002018-06-14T10:53:29.024-04:00Using proper nouns as regular nouns isn't unhe...Using proper nouns as regular nouns isn't unheard of though. We call men who buy prostitutes "Johns", or a "Becky" is a shady white girl. Saying "Sukie" towards a girl could be a similar thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com