When I first learned that for our final exam post, I knew I was going to have a hard time coming up with a new keyword that wasn’t in the New Keywords book already. I thought about using other words for my keyword, but I discarded each one because I didn’t think I would be able to write long enough about them. I was taking a break and reading the 49ers’ message board on ESPN.com, when “kid” fell into my lap. I was reading another poster’s comment about a particular football player, and he/she referred to him as a “kid.” As in “once this kid screws on his head the right way, he will be a great football player.” I was taken aback by the comment, and I thought: “Wait a minute. That football player is 27 years old and I am only 22 years old. Does that mean I’m a kid in the eyes of this poster?” Now, my definition of “kid” is a child 10 and under, so I don’t consider myself a kid. I thought about how “kid” has two different age ranges depending on who is using it and when it is used. Then, I decided this can be my keyword! Great! I already have a situation where “kid” can be used in different ways. I only need to do some research on “kid” and I will be all set.
The original meaning of “kid” was the young of a goat. It did not start to be known as its more common definition of “child” until much later. The “child” definition for kid actually started out as a slang term with its first recorded use occurring in 1599. This definition survived, and a nickname for kid, kiddo, started to show up in the late 19th century. As the “child” definition stuck around, more phrases utilizing kid started showing up. For example, Kid stuff, meaning “something easy”, came about in 1923. (etymonline.com). Over the rest of the 20th century, and early 21st century, kid has developed from “a child” to “a young person” to “a person of any age.” The last definition occurs when an older person is talking about a person that is younger than they are. For example, on the 49ers’ message board, a football player is referred to as a kid by a poster, even though the athlete is 23, 26, or even 30 years old.
The Oxford English Dictionary doesn’t even include the “child” definition as an official definition. It refers to kid, when a person means “a child,” as a slang term, and that slang definition is buried under the list of primary definitions. The OED has 10 definitions for kid. That is 10 different situations in which the word “kid” can be misinterpreted to mean something other than the intended meaning. Kid is listed as being a noun five times, as a participial adjective one time, and as a verb four times.
As a noun, the primary kid definitions are: 1. The young of a goat, 2. A bundle of twigs used for burning or embedding a river bank, 3. A seed-pod of a leguminous plant, 4. A wooden tub for domestic use, and 5. a humbug/joke (as in “no kid” means “no joke”). (oed.com)
As a participial adjective, the primary kid definition is “made known, mentioned, declared, renowned; well-known; famous; notorious.” (oed.com)
As a verb, the primary kid definitions are: 1. To give birth to a young goat (note: only applies to goats, not humans), 2. To bind up brushwood in bundles, 3. To form pods, and 4. To hoax, humbug, try to make one believe what is not true. (oed.com)
On Wikipedia, there are lots of other references for the word “kid.” Kid can be a radio station name (KID 96.1 FM in Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA), video game characters, movie titles, literature titles, song names, television shows, and acronyms. All these references/definitions for the word “kid” are used in some way around the world, and the meaning all depends on what area of the world the word is being used in, and in what context it is used. However, as it states on the top of the Wikipedia page, the usual definition of the word “kid” is a “young goat or a human child.”
Overall, there are many meanings when someone uses the word “kid,” and it can be confusing determining what the speaker’s intended meaning is when he/she uses “kid.” However, the emerging definition, and the definition that is widely used today, of the word “kid” is a young person of any age.
References:
Online Etymology Dictionary. November 2001. July 28, 2008.
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. July 29, 2008.
2 comments:
My main suggestion is to add some sentences that give an expository edge to your post: show your reader how this is a word really worth thinking about right now, how all these varying definitions result in a general confusion about the term. Do you see what I mean? Give your post some feeling—try to explain how you even came upon this word as a 'keyword'. For instance, I like your story of the athletes who are called 'kids' when they are clearly adults, and how this made you wonder what was up with this label.
This post reads much better than the first draft. It would be interesting to start using those alternative forms of "kid" more frequently—especially the verb forms! You put the post together really well, Arlen.
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