Ukulele – Leaping into the English Language
Hello,
This week’s word is ukulele. This one has been on my list to research for some time after somebody mentioned its roots in passing and I was sure they must have made a mistake. I keep a list of words to investigate, this little guitar-like instrument joined the list and has been overlooked ever since which is unfair as it’s a fun way to get people involved in music.
Students in my teens’ school who study music all learn the ukulele in their first year of study, for example. During the first major virus lockdown in Ireland Niall Breslin (musician, and former Gaelic footballer and Leinster rugby player) sent 200 ukeleles in April to youngsters and older members of the community who had to cocoon due to health concerns and challenged them to learn to play. His online tutorials proved popular and the initiative became known as the Lockdown Ukulele Rockdown (not easy to say aloud after more than two lockdown cocktails). Then in July as restrictions eased he released a music video featuring 400 players (yes, he sent out another 200 instruments) in aid of stage technicians who were made redundant by the lockdown. It may be a small instrument, but they showed it could make a big difference.
What was the rumoured source of ukelele in the English language I heard months ago? Well, I heard it came from Hawaii and meant jumping flea. It sounded so crazy, it couldn’t be true. Yes, it could.
Ukelele entered English in the late 1800s directly from Hawaiian where ukulele translates literally as a leaping flea. Uku means louse or flea and lele means to fly, jump, or leap. The instrument was named in this way in Hawaiian thanks to the rapid finger action required to play it, reminding viewers of leaping fleas hopping across the strings. It may even be linked to the playing style of one early expert, an Englishman called Edward William Purvis who was an officer to King Kalakaua. The king was a keen patron of the arts and included ukelele music in royal concerts and entertainments. King Kalakaua (1836-1891), the last king of Hawaii, himself played the ukulele and was known as the Merrie Monarch, not a bad nickname to have.
The four-stringed instrument itself wasn’t entirely an Hawaiian invention, however. It developed from a Portuguese stringed instrument called a machete introduced to the islands by Portuguese immigrants around 1879. The ukulele is actually part of the lute family and comes in four different sizes – soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone.
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In other news this week, “Words The Sea Gave Us” is taking part in the AllAuthors Cover Contest this month and is currently taking a hammering from manly torsos on romance novel covers so if you could take a moment to throw a vote our way (free and you don’t have to register) today it would be very much appreciated. Thanks very much!
Until next time happy reading, writing, and wordfooling,
Grace (@Wordfoolery)
[image error]p.s. It’s November and as usual I’m up to my neck in writing a book for National Novel Writing Month. I’m re-writing a historic fiction novel this year and of course supporting writers in my region of Ireland North East where I’m the Municipal Liaison. If you’re taking part this year I hope the words are flowing for you.
