backformations (again)

[Mark A. Mandel]

Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU> writes:

>>>>>
On Sat, 3 Feb 2001, Beverly Flanigan wrote:

> Two last backformations (maybe):  Read in _The Nation_ just this
> morning:  someone was "coronated" (figuratively) for something or
> other.   And in another written text, "invocating" was used for
> "invoking."  Interestingly, these were both written; I would guess more
> such usages would occur in speech than in writing, unless they've already
> become established and accepted?

Neither of these is new (one dates from 1623, the other from 1526) and
neither is a back-formation.
<<<<<

I wouldn't be so quick to say that, despite the early cites. If they have
not been used for centuries, ISTM that Beverly's sightings are quite
possibly reinventions via back formation, rather than either SURvivals
through more-or-less ongoing usage or REvivals from reading old texts.

(I grant that the distinction between sur- and re- may be vague, and
impossible to make in practice, and that we may also be unable to determine
for certain whether my guess about these two cases is accurate.)

   Mark A. Mandel : Dragon Systems, a Lernout & Hauspie company
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