WINNIPEG, MB—Language experts are struggling to explain a sharp decline in Winnipeggers describing themselves with the whimsical short form, ‘Peggers.
A recent study finds that the once-common term has seen a steep decline since the late-2000’s, in what researchers describe as “an unexpected kink in the data.”
The study asked Winnipeg residents, “Would you describe yourself as a ‘Pegger?” Reactions ranged from, “Excuse me??” to “Oh, no no no no,” to “Depending on what kind of weekend I’m looking for.” One respondent said she listed herself as a “proud, lifelong ‘Pegger” on her dating profile, but soon changed it, saying “I got a lot of responses, but none in a good way.”
Dr. Stacy Friesen of the University of Manitoba is the study’s lead author, and was surprised to see the term suddenly falling out of favour. “I honestly don’t know why people are abandoning the term,” said Friesen. “But as a linguist, when you see a trend like this, you strap in and delve deeper,” said Friesen. “Sometimes the data seems impenetrable, but if you slow down and get creative, you’ll find a back door approach that works.” When asked if her research included basic web searches of the term, she said it certainly did. “With Safe-Search turn on, of course. This is a work computer.”
But Friesen is confident she’ll discover the cause of the ‘Pegger decline’, thanks to a fruitful collaboration with co-author and sociologist, Brent Wiebe. “We each have our specialties, but sometimes we just say, ‘What the heck. Let’s swap our traditional roles, and see what happens!’”
Friesen also cites recent upgrades to her lab facilities as further cause for excitement. “I used to think certain things were off the table, because I didn’t have the equipment. But with the new tools I have at my fingertips, there’s all kinds of new avenues to explore.”
Friesen says a new ‘Pegger paper from her and Wiebe will likely be published later this year.
“Until then, I’ll be probing this issue deeply, and I’m confident a solution will be coming soon.”
