[QUOTE=ZenBeam]
I looked, but couldn’t find support for any of the bolded part online. Do you have a cite for Michigander being more popular prior to 1980, for Michiganian being the official term, or for Governor Milliken being responsible for making it so?
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In a 1976 poll conducted by Prof. George Javor of Northern Michigan U. asking what they like to call themselves, 90% voted for Michigander. 7% for Michiganian.
There was a piece of legislation introduced into the MI House in 1979 by Casmer Ogonowski. It actually got a vote 50-32 to use Michiganian as the Official term. I haven’t found a cite yet as to whether it ever made it through the Senate and/or to then Gov. Milliken.
All my info comes from newspaper stories at the time over at Newspaperarchive(pay site).
Calgarian, Albertan, Canadian. NWT-er or Northerner from when I lived in the Northwest Territories. Currently Baltimoreon Marylander - although I call my husband a Baltimoron.
[QUOTE=samclem]
In a 1976 poll conducted by Prof. George Javor of Northern Michigan U. asking what they like to call themselves, 90% voted for Michigander. 7% for Michiganian.
There was a piece of legislation introduced into the MI House in 1979 by Casmer Ogonowski. It actually got a vote 50-32 to use Michiganian as the Official term. I haven’t found a cite yet as to whether it ever made it through the Senate and/or to then Gov. Milliken.
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Thanks, Sam.
My experience was that growing up in Michigan, I was in my very late 20s before I even heard the word Michiganian for the first time. (Michigander was the only name for a resident throughout my life to that time.) And I associated it with a campaign by Bill Milliken to select a “better” word of state residents. Milliken may not have actually initiated the movement, but he was certainly an advocate and it was in the 1979 - 1980 period when he set a directive that anything emanating from the governor’s office of state agencies reporting to the executive would use Michiganian.
The O.E.D. cites Michiganian to 1813 and 1837, but notes Michigander from 1848, 1865, 1897, and 1952. (I have the mid-1980s update of the O.E.D. that does not yet capture the 1979 activity.) That seems to be another pretty good indication that Michigander was more prevalent up until 1980.
[QUOTE=tomndebb]
The O.E.D. cites Michiganian to 1813 and 1837, but notes Michigander from 1848, 1865, 1897, and 1952. (I have the mid-1980s update of the O.E.D. that does not yet capture the 1979 activity.) That seems to be another pretty good indication that Michigander was more prevalent up until 1980.
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Using Newspaperarchive’s electronic database, and searching for those two terms 1759-1980, I get 25 hits for Michiganian and 389 hits for Michigander. Of course, not all hits come from Michigan newspapers. But I’d doubt if the results would be much different if they did.
There’s a town outside of Pittsburgh called Mars. I was very disappointed to find out that the residents don’t call themselves “Martians.” I think they say “Marsians” (mars-ee-ans) or some such.
I always liked the “Liverpudlian” thing, so since I live in Westfield, I call myself a “Westfudlian.” I guess everybody else says “Westfielder.” Bah.
Responding to zombie just to clear something up… then I’ll be okay with seeing it shut down.
I’m a lifelong Indianapolis resident, and have never heard this term. We use Indianapolitan or Nap-Towner, in the fleetingly rare moments when one needs to identify as a citizen of a city.