"Locavore" is Oxford Word-of-the-Year

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Ichthyophagous people are also known as East Coast Vegetarians.

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-----Original Message-----
From: "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>

Date:         Thu, 15 Nov 2007 07:45:47
To:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject:      Re: [ADS-L] "Locavore" is Oxford Word-of-the-Year


Verbivores:

Is there any rhyme or reason to the -vore versus -phagous suffixation
for apparently natural dietary habits? Ichthyophagous seems pretty
common for fish-eaters but herbivore seems to dominate everywhere.
(Oooops! herbiphagous is there is the zoological lit.)

I find both omnivore and omniphagous, and even fruit-eating bats are
both carpophagous and fructivores. Do I sense a preference for adj in
the -phagous and nouns in the -vore? Carnivorous is common, but I'm a
little iffy about herbivorous and especially fructivorous (including
stress placement, if carnivorous provides the right analogy).

I also assume all these terms are comic and/or derisive when applied
to human choice diets, but I haven't checked the anthropological
literature. When people occasionally ask if I am a vegetarian and I
reply that I am an omnivore (I think I'll switch to omniphagous and
see how many respectable places I get thrown out of), I get odd
responses. Looks like a case of markedness to me.

dInIs (the omniphage?)

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: "Locavore" is Oxford Word-of-the-Year
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>herbivore already does the trick.
>
>Quoting Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>:
>>
>>  If there's carnivore and omnivore, then there should be, of course,
>>  vegivore.
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  > Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:40:31 -0500
>>  > Poster: Charles Doyle
>>  > Subject: Re: "Locavore" is Oxford Word-of-the-Year
>>  >
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  >
>>  > Carnivore: "one who vores carnally"?
>>  >
>>  > --Charlie
>>  > _____________________________________________________________
>>  >
>>  >
>>  > ---- Original message ----
>>  >>Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:32:51 -0500
>>  >>From: Wilson Gray
>>  >>
>>  >>Locavore: "one who vores locally"! Okay, now I get it. There are are some
>>  cases in which it's necessary *not* to have had the benefit of a classical
>>  education.
>>  >>
>>  >>-Wilson
>>  >
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>    Purdue University
>    mcovarru at purdue.edu
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--
It should be the chief aim of a university professor to exhibit
himself [sic] in his own true character - that is, as an ignorant man
thinking, actively utilizing his small share of knowledge. Alfred
North Whitehead

Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1036 USA
Office: (517) 353-4736
Fax: (517) 353-3755

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