Eighteenth Century "Dinner" and Rural Arkansas: Fifth Week

The word I have chosen for this week is “dinner.” Johnson defines “dinner” as: “The chief meal; the meal eaten about the middle of the day.” This is undoubtedly a common American word  in the twenty-first century. However, modern use can be different, referring to the evening meal. This term is also often used in reference to elaborate occasions of gathering to share a meal – such as a “state dinner.” At such gatherings the emphasis is on who attends over what is offered to eat.

“Dinner” has adopted a formal sense over what is often called “lunch.” Johnson includes “lunch” in his dictionary, but it carries a different use than is contemporary, “As much food as one’s hand can hold.” This of course immediately brings to mind that ubiquitous handheld article of repast: the sandwich. Was it used in Johnson’s day? “Sandwich” is not included in Johnson's 1755 edition. The OED says that it seems to have come into use shortly before 1770, as explained by Grosley in connection with the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The earliest quotation offered by the OED is from 1762 – seven years after the edition of Johnson we are examining. It seems reasonable, therefore, that what Johnson had in mind when he defined “lunch” was not today’s common noontime meal.

Also of interest is a somewhat parochial use from my hometown area in Northeast Arkansas. During my formative years, I hardy ever heard the term “lunch” being used by adults. The term they used was “dinner,” when they were speaking of the noontime meal. “Ya’ll ready t’ go t’ dinner?” or, “Yowt, I’m goin’ t’ dinner” were very common phrases. “Supper” was the term used for the evening meal enjoyed after returning home at the end of the workday. “Lunch” of course was the preferred term in the public schools, as one might guess, but not among the older rural population. It is interesting that the older English of Johnson was the prevailing use among the older generations. Though space does not allow extensive examples to be given, other old English word usages were still in common use in that rural setting. One that readily comes to mind is “pert.” Johnson defines this in part as: “Lively; brisk; smart.” It is in this way that it was used in rural Arkansas. It was pronounced “peert” with an emphasis on the long “ee” sound; such as, “How ya’ feelin’?” “Oh … pretty pert.” I recall, as a boy, having some difficulty understanding what this term meant. Context eventually revealed that the speaker was commenting on the fact that they were feeling well.

It might be easy to pass off such word usage as hopelessly backward or ignorant. However, when one understands the historical precedent behind it; it becomes easier to appreciate that historical English speech is not dead but rather alive in rural America. Homespun ways and country life have been an insulating barrier that have preserved old ways of speaking long passed from the scene among the more modern and cultivated.

Until next time.

John