Normality and Normalcy

Normality and Normalcy Normality and Normalcy Normality and Normalcy By Maeve Maddox Audrey Bennett asks: Can normalcy and normality be used interchangeably? Both nouns derive from the adjective normal. normal: conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. The adverb is normally. According to some speakers, normalcy is an abominable neologism to be avoided at all costs. This attitude is illustrated by this comment praising a writer for preferring normality over normalcy: A Nobel in Literature to you for writing â€Å"return to normality† instead of the ugly neologism â€Å"normalcy,† first popularized by Warren G. Harding. Actually, according to the OED, this particular neologism was around as early as 1857, nearly half a century before Harding used it in his campaign in 1920 when he promised a return to normalcy. The following examples are all from U.S. publications: After Opener, Giants Hoping for Normalcy For a man doing time on the yard, sports offer a touch of normality and tangible contact with his life outside. Pasternack hoping to bring normalcy to New Orleans Seventeen years later, my quest for normality had taken me through a career in journalism†¦ AFTER THE STORM; South Florida Staggers to Normality Evacuees Worry and Hope for Return to Normalcy Normalcy is not interchangeable with normality in some contexts. For example, in comparing an untypical condition to a typical condition, one would want to pair abnormality with normality and not normalcy. Although the form abnormalcy is showing up on the web and even in some dictionaries, its not in the OED, and it is not standard in American speech. Bottom line: Normalcy is well established and acceptable in standard American speech, although it is not interchangeable with normality in some contexts. Normality, on the other hand, suits every context in which the sense the state or condition of being normal is intended. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Bare or Bear With Me?How to Pronounce MobileNominalized Verbs