Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series about variant colloquial spellings of the word "man" such as "mane", "manye", "mehn"* and others.
This post provides my Editorian notes about this subject and also provides one online excerpt and one complete reprint about the origin of or meanings of two variant colloquial spellings for the word "man" (the word "manze" in Sheng, a Pidgin language used in Kenya Tanzania, and Uganda; and the word "mehn" that is used in Nigerian Pidgin English (and elsewhere).
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/01/bo-diddleys-1955-rock-n-roll-song-im.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post includes comments from several discussion threads of YouTube sound files or videos about how Bo Diddley pronounces the word "man" in his 1955 hit song "I'm A Man" and in his performances of that song.
Click
https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/01/examples-of-variant-colloquial-words.html
for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III documents examples of variant
colloquial spelling for the word "man" from some YouTube discussion
threads About Bo Diddley's "I'm A Man" Record.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/01/examples-of-variant-colloquial-words_25.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post documents examples of variant colloquial words for "man" from some discussion threads for YouTube videos of some contemporary African music genres.
The content of this post is presented for linguistic and cultural purposes.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
*"Mehn", a variant spelling of the word "man" shouldn't be confused with the word "meh". Here's a definition of the word "meh" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meh#:~:text=Meh%20(%2Fm%C9%9B%2F),question%20or%20subject%20at%20hand
"Meh (/mɛ/) is an interjection used as an expression of indifference or boredom. It is often regarded as a verbal equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders. The use of the term "meh" shows that the speaker is apathetic, uninterested, or indifferent to the question or subject at hand. It is occasionally used as an adjective, meaning something is mediocre or unremarkable."
HOW THE WORD "MANE" IS PRONOUNCED & RELATED
NOTES [Added Sept. 22, 2021]
Disclaimer: This is my opinion about these words and how they are pronounced. Additions and corrections are welcome.
"Mane" is one of several African American
Vernacular English spellings for the colloquial referent "man". The
word "mane" is pronounced by elongating the word "man". The
letter "e" at the end isn't spoken, but is used to differentiate the
slang word and pronunciation "man" from the standard English word and
pronunciation "man".
The words "mayne" and "menh" may also be pronounced the same way as noted above. However, the word "manes" or "manze" is probably pronounced "mans", sometimes meaning "one man" and sometimes meaning "more than one man". When the words "mans" (or "manse" or "manze") is used by African Americans, I believe it is often done incorrectly on purpose as a way of mimicking [for one reason or another] how some Black people talk or used to talk (particularly working class or poor Black people) or mimicking what some non-Black people think is the way many African Americans talk. As such, "mans", "manse" and "manze" are used instead of using the correct standard English words "man" or "men".
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THEORIES ABOUT VARIANT COLLOQUIAL SPELLINGS FOR THE WORD "MAN"
My position is that the variant colloquial spellings for the English word "man" have been greatly influenced by the way that some African Americans -particularly some African Americans from the South- pronounce that word.
Muddy Waters was also born and raised in the South (Stovall, Mississippi). This comment exchange supports my theory that the pronunciation that the two Bluesmen used for the word "man" came from their Southern upbringing:
Muddy Waters plays "Manish Boy", published by GtrWorkshop, Nov 16, 2007
"MAIN"
**
Reply
Mike C, 2018
"It's southern dialogue! Check out lil boosie and few other southern rap artists."
-end of quote-
While that pronunciation of the word "man" precedes the 1970s, I believe that the variant (Southern) colloquial spellings for the word "man" became popularized in the United States in the 1970s and on because Hip Hop culture promoted/promotes the use of non-standard spelling for words based on the ways those words actually sound.
For instance, "phat" is an example of African Amerian spelling of the standard English word "fat" whose meaning changed with that spelling. That African American Vernacular English word is no longer used (I believe since the early or mid 1990s). Click https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chewing-the-phat/ for information about the word "phat".
The use of variant colloquial spellings for some other standard English words come from Jamaican Patwa. The spelling of the words "fire" in Jamaican Patwa ("fiyah", "fiya" etc) is an example of a Jamaican Patwa word that has retrained its standard English meaning, although other meanings have been added to it.
This post includes a few online excerpts about the use of alternate spellings for the word "man" (and/or "men"). I'm interested in learning more about when and where alternate spellings for the word "man" (and/or the word "men") were/are used. Please share any thoughts you have or links that you are aware of on this subject. Thanks in advance!
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A FEW ONLINE EXCERPTS ABOUT THIS SUBJECT
Excerpt #1
From https://www.sheng.co.ke/kamusi/index.php?word_id=1637#:~:text=Manze%2D%20(Interjection.),usually%20when%20one%20is%20exasperated)
"Manze- (Interjection.) [ man-ze ]
Meaning : Man! (exclamation usually when one is exasperated)
Use : Manze jo! niaje na wewe bana?! = Oh man!! what's with
you?!
Period: Late 70's
Synonyms: Maze,
Spelling variation: Maze
Area of origin : Unknown
Etymology:
Frmo English phrase "oh man!""
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Full Reprint #2
[This is the entire posts from this link, except their "Senior member" designation and except for repeated previous statements.]
From https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/mehn-nigerian-english.3652499/ mehn [Nigerian English?]
KGregoryA
St Petersburg, Russia
Russian
Jan 11, 2020
#1
"Hello everybody.
Need your help again.
A Nigerian guy (from Obioma’s “Orchestra of minorities”) who was cheated by his school friend Jamike and lost much money is looking for that bad guy Jamike, he comes to an apartment where Jamike is supposed to be and stands at the door and hears voices inside:
He waited at the door, his hand on his chest, as it seemed that he could hear Jamike’s distinct voice among them, shouting in his swaggering tone with the prominent echo of “mehn.”
Can you tell me what does “mehn” mean here?
Thanks for your help.
owlman 5
Colorado
English-US
Jan 11, 2020
#2
"Assuming that Jamike is speaking English, I'd say that this
is Obioma's attempt to convey Jamike's unusual pronunciation of a word like man
or men."
**
KGregoryA
St Petersburg, Russia
Russian
Jan 11, 2020
#3
"Thanks. In other words it is a kind of macho tone?"
**
owlman5
Colorado
English-US
Jan 11, 2020
#4
"You're welcome. Mehn doesn't strike me as macho. Instead, it
looks like Obioma's attempt to reproduce a pronunciation that has been
influenced by some African language."
**
Jan 11, 2020
KGregoryA
St Petersburg, Russia
Russian
Jan 11, 2020
#5
-snip-
These are the only online discussion that I've found to date about variant spellings for the English word "man" or "men".
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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
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Visitor comments are welcome.
