Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB
The use of voluntarism in the sense of relying on volunteers for support or action is an Americanism which does not really fit into an Australian publication. Using volunteerism would give the same meaning as the article appears to have meant in pretty much any English speaking country. OTOH, given the rather fluid nature of meaning in the English language at the best of times, King Canute ordering the tide back comes to mind.
See the Wikitionary entry on voluntarism or the Dictionary.com comparison. |
I know this getting off topic, and I apologize, but words are fun. Let me know if you want to start another thread. In the meantime: my OED says that volunteerism is the North American variant of voluntarism, and both it and the M-W listing cite voluntarism as appearing several year earlier than volunteerism. Both are from the mid 19th century. Honestly, I had never run into either and I had assumed they were some recent 1960s or 70s coinages along with a bunch of other isms.