man+(noun) combining form

[Laurence Horn]

>Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> writ:
>>>>
>There's also the back-formation option:  "steward" (for male flight
>attendant)
><<<
>
>Mmm, you can view that as a backform i.t.o. contemporary usage, but
>historically it's a revival of the original simplex.

Agreed.

>  How could one tell
>the contribution of each path?
>
Well, a questionnaire distributed before the major airlines started
to bring (back?) on male steward(esse)s would have done it, but
probably a text count to see how many "steward"s back then really did
refer to flight attendants.

L