Wednesday, May 5, 2021

DEMONYMS

Wordsmith Wednesday's new word----for me, that is...........
Usually I come across "new" words of interest while reading. 
This time it was a category on Jeopardy. 
Demon popped out but it was NOT demon...... 
.....rather demonyms--an ID for a group of people in residence in a certain area/state.....think New Yorker, Kentuckian, Tennessean or Texan as our family does. However, Dallas natives/residents/inhabitants are known as Dallasites---cited in print since 1873. Autocorrect has obviously not been informed of that demonym & insists (with .............) that I have misspelled it!
Not surprisingly, the demonym for all folks who live in Oklahoma is "Sooner," the state nickname. Many state monikers are folksy and seem to follow the state nickname, tho not always  acknowledged by the federal government. Division has ignited fierce debate. Are Indianians or Hoosiers preferred? Michiganians or Michiganadors?  
I don't think I got many of the answers right on Jeopardy. I assume only British & other avid soccer fans understood that people who reside in Manchester, UK are dubbed, Mancunians.
Rules are messy according to word scholars and I don't think demonym will become a "trending word" but as for me, it was a fun diversion as I waited for another appointment with Dr. Rowena DeSousa.