[Ads-l] New Sense of the Noun "Primary"

[Shapiro, Fred]

Probably I should say "The new sense denotes the entire season of nationwide individual state qualifying elections for party presidential nominations."

Fred Shapiro



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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Shapiro, Fred <fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
Sent: Monday, February 10, 2020 7:54 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: New Sense of the Noun "Primary"

Four years ago I pointed out that there was a new sense of the political noun "primary."  No one else seemed to have noticed it.  Now the new sense is continuing to gain in currency.

Traditionally a "primary" meant a single election in a single state or single smaller unit helping to qualify candidates for a party nomination.  The new sense denotes the entire season of nationwide individual state qualifying elections.  For example, a headline in the Atlantic reads: "The Democrats' Age Divide Is Defining the 2020 Primary."

Fred Shapiro




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