new (non-)coinage ("vagitarian")

[Laurence Horn]

>I have friends who refer to themselves as "freegan"

ah, one from an old WOTY category (can't recall if it won), but
clearly a blend of "free" and "vegan".  And then there's our old
"flexitarian", which could be evidence for -tarian, except that it's
clearly a blend of "flexi(ble)" and "vegetarian".  What we need to
see is a free-standing -tarian suffix (whence my nomination of
"veggietarian", along with M.G.'s of "pescatarian").

LH


>  and
>as "opportunitarian",

this could be "opportunity" + "-arian", though, so (as with
"fruitarian") no evidence either way.

>  both meaning eating whatever is free or
>available. Usually, these are said in response to the presumptive
>question "Are you vegan or vegetarian?"
>Rachel
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Dr. Rachel E. Shuttlesworth
>University of Alabama English Department
>Box 870244 • Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0244
>205.348.7616
>rachel.e.shuttlesworth at ua.edu
>
>
>Quoting Matthew Gordon <gordonmj at MISSOURI.EDU>:
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Matthew Gordon <gordonmj at MISSOURI.EDU>
>>  Subject:      Re: new (non-)coinage ("vagitarian")
>>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>---------
>>
>>  This coinage seems also to support the re-analysis of 'vegetarian'
>>  into
>>  'vege + tarian' instead of 'veget-arian'. That is, '-tarian' seems
>>  to
>>  interpreted as a suffix meaning 'one who eats (only)'. Some further
>>  support
>>  for this might be found with 'pescatarian'. Something like
>>  'fruitarian'
>>  doesn't help. Are there others?
>>
>>  -Matt Gordon
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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