Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 13:11:26 EDT

From: Michael Montgomery N270053[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]VM.SC.EDU

Subject: No subject given



Others have attested the dating of _funeralize_ back into the 19th century.

It was used then and until recently in country and mountain churches who

were traditionally served by circuit-riding pastors who often could not

reach a community to hold a funeral service until the weather had broken

in the spring (or at least some while after the burial itself, which took

place the day after passing). The term in Southern Appalachian has tradi-

tionally meant "to preach a funeral service (for the benefit of both the

deceased and the living)", and since the service may have taken place

weeks after the death, several people were sometimes _funearlized_ at the

same time.



A very useful word in traditional speech/culture, because burial is not

entailed and it's far more direct and compact than "preach a funeral

sermon for."



Michael Montgomery