Mysteries of vernacular: Tuxedo - Jessica Oreck
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0:15 - 0:17Mysteries of Vernacular
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0:19 - 0:21Tuxedo:
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0:21 - 0:24men's evening wear for semi-formal occasions.
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0:24 - 0:27Tuxedo, surprisingly, has its roots
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0:27 - 0:29in Native American history.
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0:29 - 0:32The Delaware Indians of what is now
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0:32 - 0:34the Northeast United States,
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0:34 - 0:36were divided into three subgroups,
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0:36 - 0:40distinguished by their animal totems:
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0:40 - 0:41the turkey,
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0:41 - 0:42the turtle,
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0:42 - 0:45and the wolf.
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0:45 - 0:47Members of the tribe belonging to the wolf totem
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0:47 - 0:49were often referred to
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0:49 - 0:53by the indigenous word for the four-footed canine,
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0:53 - 0:54p'tuksit.
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0:54 - 0:56In the 18th century,
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0:56 - 1:00Europeans who settled in the former region of the P'tuksit
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1:00 - 1:03Anglicized the name as "tuxedo"
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1:03 - 1:07and slapped it on a town in southeast New York.
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1:07 - 1:10Decades later, in the late 1800s,
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1:10 - 1:12a lavish resort was constructed
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1:12 - 1:15and christened "The Tuxedo Club".
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1:15 - 1:17It was at The Tuxedo Club,
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1:17 - 1:19around the turn of the century,
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1:19 - 1:21when a dress jacket was required
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1:21 - 1:23for almost every occasion,
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1:23 - 1:25that a brash young man,
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1:25 - 1:28heir to an enormous tobacco fortune,
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1:28 - 1:31caused a stir by flaunting tradition
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1:31 - 1:33and donning a formal dinner jacket
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1:33 - 1:35without tails.
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1:35 - 1:39His bold fashion statement was quickly popularized
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1:39 - 1:41and nicknamed tuxedo,
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1:41 - 1:43which in modern America,
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1:43 - 1:46is the headache of high school prom attendees
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1:46 - 1:47across the nation.
- Title:
- Mysteries of vernacular: Tuxedo - Jessica Oreck
- Description:
-
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/mysteries-of-vernacular-tuxedo-jessica-oreck
How did tuxedo's roots extend from Native American history to black tie evening wear? Jessica Oreck reveals what the Delaware Indians and formal fashion have in common.
Lesson by Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel, animation by Jessica Oreck.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TED-Ed
- Duration:
- 02:05
Jessica Ruby edited English subtitles for Mysteries of vernacular: Tuxedo - Jessica Oreck | ||
Bedirhan Cinar approved English subtitles for Mysteries of vernacular: Tuxedo - Jessica Oreck | ||
Bedirhan Cinar accepted English subtitles for Mysteries of vernacular: Tuxedo - Jessica Oreck | ||
Bedirhan Cinar edited English subtitles for Mysteries of vernacular: Tuxedo - Jessica Oreck | ||
Andrea McDonough added a translation |