I ran across shanty (meaning a song sung by sailors), and I “knew” it was wrong. It should be chanty! So of course I got up on my high horse and looked it up . . . ahem, to prove it. Nope, it’s an alternative spelling that is dependent upon context.
The chanty (or chantey) has a French origin from the base verb chanter, meaning to sing while shanty arose from men who worked lumber, the railroad, or the ports and lived in shanties in America. And sang to make the work go easier.
If you’re flexible, you can use either. If you want to reinforce your story, consider using chanty for songs sung by sailors and shanty for songs sung by land-based workers in America.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Chanty | Shanty |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: chanties, chanteys Alternate spelling: chantey, sea chantey, shanty, sea shanty |
Adjective 1; Noun 1, 2 Verb, intransitive 2 Plural for the noun: shanties Third person present verb: shanties Alternate spelling (only for 1): chantey, sea chantey |
| A song with alternating solo and chorus, of a kind originally sung by sailors while performing physical labor together | Adjective: Of, relating to, or constituting a shanty or shanties 1 Of a low economic or social class, especially when living in a shanty Noun: A crudely built hut, cabin, lean-to, hovel, or house 2 [Australia; New Zealand] A public house, especially an unlicensed one [Canada] A log bunkhouse at a lumber camp
Verb, intransitive: |
| Examples: | |
| It was a prized chanteyman who could surprise a laugh from the crew and thereby make the job seem easier or inspire the men to work harder (Fife).
A sea chanty helped coordinate the efforts of a team of sailors to do a single task. A chanty included what sailors knew about their homes, families, past experiences, their ship and crew, where they’d been, and what they’d rather be doing. The structure of a chanty changed depending on how difficult or continuous the task. Some chanties include “John Kanaka”, “Blood Red Roses”, “Blow the Man Down”, “Haul Away Joe”, and “The Rio Grande”. He woke to the sound of sailors singing a chanty as they hauled in the sails. |
Adjective: There was a shanty quarter outside the town walls. You are not to play with that girl! She’s one of those shanty people. There’s a shanty town outside Washington where we can find a bed. Noun: Jean and I stayed in that shanty right there. Verb, intransitive: Ned and I had to shanty with five other guys on our hunting trip. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Noun: chanteyman | Adjective: shantylike Noun: shantyman, shantytown |
| History of the Word: | |
| Mid-19th century and probably from the French chantez! meaning sing!, an imperative plural of chanter. |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Chanty versus Shanty
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: shanty
“Fifes, Drums and Chanteymen.” The Ancient Mariners Connecticut. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://www.ancientmarinersct.com>.
Hornstein, Howard. Favorite Sea Songs of the Ancient Mariners Chanteymen. 1998. There’s a fascinating bit on the differences between all the alternate spellings based on their origins.
“Lesson Plans. San Francisco Maritime National Park Association. <http://www.maritime.org/edu/lesson-plans.htm> There is a lesson plans page that discusses what types of chanties were used for what tasks. It makes for an interesting read.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Shanty on the Cypress Coast by dimitrisvetsikas1969 and Woman Singing and Playing Guitar by walbergcarvalho are under the CC0 Public Domain license, via Pixabay.
Revised as of 8 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie