Be My Ombuddy
Arnold Zwicky recently got* something from his institution's "Ombuds Office", and he reflected a bit on the words "Ombudsman", "Ombudswoman", and the apparent modern compromise "Ombuds". It's an odd, ungainly word that I've never cared for but it seems that recent years has seen a rise in popularity of ombudsing and that ombudsers are even expected now in many situations, particularly where large organizations (e.g., newspapers) have frequent intercourse with the public.
But can one really call the person doing the ombudsing the "ombuds"? I'm sure it won't be long† before the urge to go the route of the faulty singular backformation can no longer be resisted and the person will become an "ombud". Or perhaps the route could be from "Ombuds Office" to "Ombuds' Office" to "Ombud's Office" to "Ombud".
Regardless, I'm most amused at the prospect of calling the new relationship "Ombuddy", as in "Hey, me and Joe, we're ombuddies; we take care of each other!" The organization could then tout the benefits of their "Ombuddy System" that, presumably, keeps their public from getting into water over their heads.
Although they sound almost the same, clearly "ombuddies" and "umfriends"# constitute very different relationships.
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* Arnold Zwicky, "Ombudsbusiness", Language Log, 15 April 2009.
† Experience shows that I'm usually wrong on these predictions, so don't worry. About a decade ago I was certain that, thanks to the proliferation of fast-food restaurants as a ubiquitous presence in young people's lives, trash cans would soon be known as "thank yous". It was a great theory but it seems not to have happened–yet!
# "Umfriend" implies a physical relationship of which the interlocutor is uncertain, as in "Is he your, um, friend?" Soc.motss ombuddies passing by will be familiar with the word.