Olé

¡Ole! or ¡olé! is a Spanish interjection used to cheer on or praise a performance, especially associated with the audience of bullfighting and flamenco dance. The word is also commonly used in many other contexts in Spain, and has become closely associated with the country; therefore it is often used outside Spain in cultural representation of the Spanish people.[1] In some Latin American countries, but not in Spain, it may be used as a term of mockery. In football, it can be used both as a form of mockery or encouragement depending on the context the word is used, and it is also frequently used as a football chant outside Spain as in "Olé, Olé, Olé".

For other uses, see OLE.
The olé interjection

Etymology

The origin of the word olé is uncertain. A popular idea is that the word comes from Allāh,[2] the Arabic word for God, perhaps as wa Ilâh (by God), or yāllāh (O God).[3] It was believed that the presence and power of God could be glimpsed through an exceptional performance, for example in a flamenco dance.[4][5] It has also been argued that when Flamenco dancers chant the word in cante jondo, they were reciting the beginning of the Shahada ("la illaha illa Allah") and that they were performing a Muwashshah.[6][7] The linguist Joan Coromines in his Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico links olé to the Spanish word for "hello" hola and hala.[8] Hola has also been proposed to have come from Arabic.[3] However, the suggested derivations from Arabic of both olé and hola are disputed and they are described by the Spanish Arabist Federico Corriente as "falsos arabismos" (false Arabisms) in his work Diccionario de arabismos y voces afines en iberorromance.[3][9] The Spanish dictionary Diccionario de la lengua española that stated the wa Ilâh origin of olé in its earlier editions has removed the claim since 2001.[3]

The word is also proposed to have originated from Greek ὀλολυγή (ololigi) to describe a "ritual cry",[10] which became Hispanicized into olé meaning "bravo!" and used to express an appreciation of an outstanding performance in Spanish.[4] However, the word is attested to only once in Ancient Greek, derived From verb meaning disastrous, with negative connotations and not used repeatedly as is the current practice, nor are there any records of it ever being used a in a similar fashion to express admiration or satisfaction in Greek the way it is currently used in Spanish. Another suggestion is that it came from the Biblical story of Jacob and the two sisters Leah and Rachel, where Jacob was deceived into marrying Leah and said "Oh, Leah" when her identity was revealed, which turned into ole.[11]

The word ole may be pronounced with or without the accent on the "e"; it may be paroxytone (written as ole), though sometimes it can be oxytone (then written olé).[11] The word is believed to have deep root in Andalusia and from there it spread to Madrid, and the acute accent in olé may be more proper in Andalusian and flamenco.[12] in Andalusia, a number of words similar in meaning to olé are also used: ojú, ozú and arza.[11]

Use in flamenco
"El Olé, the Spanish national dance," with image of Pepita de Oliva. Sheet music, 1850s.

In flamenco music and dance, shouts of "olé" often accompany the dancer during the performance as encouragement or praise, and at the end of the performance. A singer in cante jondo may also emphasize the word "olé" with melismatic turns.[4][13]

Use in sport

Bullfighting

In bullfighting, "olé" is commonly shouted spontaneously by the crowds as a cry of approval in response to a matador's performance.[14] The spectators may cheer on a series of moves (such as chicuelinas and derechazos) performed by the bullfighter, with each move greeted with an "olé".[15] The crowd may lengthen the vowels into "Ooooooleeeee" when a bull follows the cape of the matador.[11]

Football

The word Olé has also become associated with other sports since the 20th century. In association football, "Olé" as an interjection as used in bullfighting is believed to be first used in Brazil for Garrincha in 1958.[16] The word may be chanted by a crowd for a team or player who made an exceptional performance, and it may be used to demean the opposition when their own team put on a dominant performance, or when someone failed in an attempt to achieve their aim.

Since the 1980s, it is commonly used in football in the form of the "Olé, Olé, Olé" chant, which is sung to a tune rather than the series of isolated spoken exclamations as used in bullfighting. A similar form was heard in Spain in league game in 1982, and this version quickly spread to other clubs.[17] This form was first sung in San Sebastián as "Campeones, hobe, hobe, hobe" (hobe means "the best" in Basque) when Real Sociedad won the 1982 La Liga title,[18] but sung in other parts of Spain as "Oé, Oé, Oé",[19] and in other European countries outside of Spain as "Ole, Ole, Ole".[20]

The current popular version of the "Olé, Olé, Olé" chant, however, was first used in a Belgian song "Anderlecht Champion" initially as "Allez, Allez, Allez, Allez" in French,[21] which morphed into the Spanish "Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé" in a version of the song used for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, hosted in Mexico.[22] This version of the chant quickly spread and is now commonly used by fans in association football worldwide; for example, has been used by the supporters of the Republic of Ireland national football team.[23][24] The chant is also used by fans of other sport, such as the hockey team Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre and the Welsh rugby union.[25][26] This chant has also been used in non-sporting events around the world.[22]

References
  1. Landmann, Julia (2018). The Influence of Spanish on the English Language since 1801: A Lexical Investigation. 9781527510272. p. 268. ISBN 9781527510272.
  2. "olé". Wiktionary. 18 March 2023.
  3. Kaye, Alan S. (2005). "Two Alleged Arabic Etymologies". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 64 (2): 109–111. doi:10.1086/431686. S2CID 161666814.
  4. "The Story of Olé". Alta. 20 February 2009.
  5. "Your elusive creative genius". Elizabeth Gilbert. February 2009.
  6. "LOS CROMOSOMAS POÉTICOS ANDALUCES". www.papel-literario.com. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  7. "La huella morisca en la cultura andaluza - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  8. Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio. Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico. Gredos. ¡ole!. Probablemente es lo mismo que el hole americano, empleado para llamar, variante de hola y hala, todas ellas de creación expresiva.
  9. Corriente, Federico (1999). Diccionario de Arabismos y Voces Afines en Iberorromance (Dictionary of Arabisms and Related Words in Ibero-Romance). Gredo. pp. 485–596.
  10. "OLÉ". Etimologías de Chile - Diccionario que explica el origen de las palabras. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  11. "¡Olé! – Meaning, origin and use of Olé in Spanish: EP148". Spanish Podcast. 24 September 2015.
  12. Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio. Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico. Gredos. Como interjección empleada para animar tiene gran arraigo en Andalucía, pero pronto se hizo popular en Madrid [...] Más propiamente andaluza y flamenca es la acentuación olé
  13. Parkinson, Alice (2007). Music. Lotus Press. p. 49. ISBN 978-8189093501.
  14. Marvin, Garry (1994). Bullfight. University of Illinois Press. p. 29. ISBN 9781439833322 – via Google Books.
  15. Frontain, Eick (1966). Farris, J. Kelly (ed.). How to Enjoy a Bull Fight. Hooper Press.
  16. Ambrósio, Tauan (20 September 2018). "'He had left the ball behind' - The day Garrincha gave 'Ole' to football". Goal.
  17. Baker, Alex (21 June 2014). "Soccer chants heard at the Brazil World Cup explained". Yahoo Sports.
  18. ""Me siento feliz" (Arconada)". La Vanguardia. 26 April 1982.
  19. Dublin, Jared (4 May 2012). "Campeones! Campeones! Live from Madrid, Real Madrid Celebrations at Cibeles: Part 2". Managing Madrid.
  20. Worrall, Mark; Barker, Kelvin; Johnstone, David (2013). Making History, Not Reliving It. Gate 17. p. 288. ISBN 9780955745980.
  21. "Hoe wijlen showbizzproducer Roland Verlooven de wereld aan een voetballied hielp". Focus. 11 March 2017.
  22. "Canvas brengt jubileumreeks van Belpop". VRT. 30 September 2020.
  23. Fitzgerald, Thomas S.; Rojas, Diana; Shuman, Marah (1994-06-19). "A Great Day for the Irish as Italy is Defeated, 1–0". The Record (Bergen County, NJ). Banging on bodhran drums, the Irish were on their feet – an hour before game time. They chanted, "Ole, ole," their national football cheer, imported from Spain
  24. Doyle, John (June 7, 2002). "Green Army conquering with smiles". The Globe and Mail.
  25. Gordon, Sean (9 February 2013). "Leafs embarrass Habs 6-0 in fight-filled game". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved Sep 7, 2020.
  26. Beacon, Bill (20 April 2010). "Capitals defeat Canadiens 5-1". Montreal. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
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