hobbyest or hobbiest?
LOM said:
For such an important position, I`d hire whichever one can spell ``hobbyist.``
Of course you are correct. Hobbyist is the correct usage, since it is a noun and not a superlative adjective.
I`ve often wondered however if the trend toward the use of ``hobbiest`` isn`t an attempt to recognize the separate derivation of the term as we use it here on Merb; that is, in allusion to the exchange of money for sexual services. Hobby, when referring to stamp-collecting and other pastimes, is derived from the Old English term ``hobyn,`` which means a small horse; hence the word ``hobby-horse.`` Hobyn, or hobi, is in turn derived from the Sanskrit word ``vyasana,``[1] which means to move back and forth with regular rhythm. In view of the libidinal preoccupations of Merb`s members, it might seem that this is also the correct derivation of the word ``hobby`` as we use it here.
However, there is a growing body of evidence that suggests ``hobby`` as used on Merb is in reality a completely distinct word that is derived from the Sanskrit word ``bahubhogyA``, the definition of which is ``to be enjoyed by many; to be shared gracefully; companion; prostitute.``[2] In Sanskrit, ``bahubhogyA`` takes an i-stem when used as a noun (hence, bahubhogi). Some linguists contend therefore that the use of ``hobbiest`` when referring to a person who employs the services of escorts, while not in keeping with standard English usage, is actually preferable from an etymological standpoint.[3]
For the time being, our use of the word ``hobbiest`` will be clearly understood if we place ``mb`` (for ``merb``) in brackets after the word. For example, ``My wife is angry that I am a hobbiest[SIZE=``1``][mb][/SIZE]`` or ``The hobbiest[SIZE=``1``][mb][/SIZE] sat in his room waiting for his date.`` This will alert the reader that the activity being referred to is the exchange of money for sexual services as opposed to stamp-collecting or painting by numbers.
I expect that eventually the use of both ``hobbyist`` and ``hobbiest`` to refer to our specific pastime will fall out of favour and we will simply refer to ourselves as ``bahubhogists.``
[1] Singh Tribhuwan (ed), Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtram, translated by Dr. Jai Govind Mishra, Bauddha Akar Granthamala, Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi, 1993
[2]Artola, George T. 1977. ``Three Theories of Love for Money.`` In The Banner of Kamadeva and other Topics of Sanskrit Literature and Indian Sexual Mores, 83-101. Bombay: Popular Prakashan.
[3]Brown, Carolyn Henning. 1974. “Comment on Hertel`s ‘Dimensions of Sanskritization in Sexual Exchange.’” Journal of the Institute for the Combined Study of Classical Sanskrit and Sexology 13.2: 223-224.
