October 18, 2005

The good | English Survives Because There Is Always Room For A Laugh!

"The bowels in the English language are A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y", remarked an English teacher once while addressing her class.

No, she meant no disrespect to the English language. It was an accidental slip of her tongue. To err is human and verbal mishaps occur often in speech. At times it can cause calamity.

Take the case of the head of an Accounts Dept, who was horrified when he was introduced to the visiting M. D. as the Thief Accountant!

Everybody is prone to verbal errors.

The term used for such funny and outrageous substitutes for the right word is Malapropism. The word Malapropism was coined after the character, Ms. Malaprop in a play called, `The Rivals' by Richard Sheridan in the year 1775. `The Rivals', a satire, ridicules fashionable society with its materialism, hypocrisy and gossip. ‘Mal a prop’ means inappropriate in French.

Ms. Malaprop thus was a feather-brained lady who possessed a glib tongue. In her efforts to represent the cre่me de society she appeared comical due to her ludicrous substitution of words.

"He is the very pineapple of politeness", she once described an acquaintance when she meant pinnacle for pineapple. This play which is replete with her verbal slips led the English Dictionary to add a new entry called Malapropism. It means an accidental use of a similar sounding word for another.

Malapropism can be classified into several groups. It can be accidental, intentional or due to ignorance. Inexperienced users of the language trying to stretch their vocabulary can stagger into Malapropism creating embarrassment. A person once trying to enlighten others on Charles Darwin remarked that Darwin was the author of `The Organ of the Species'!

Certain malapropisms are not just funny but can set us thinking as they have deep undertones. Here are some-

’The doctor felt the man's purse and felt there was no hope.’
‘Having one wife is called monotony.’
‘Mrs and Mr Smith request your presents at the marriage of their daughter.’

The English language it is said outnumbers all other languages in the number of words and it grows each day as it borrows words extensively from other languages. Changing life styles, new ideas and inventions also call for new words and expressions. Thus it provides a very fertile ground for verbal slips.

Some Malapropisms can also just be plain meaningless but funny and burlesque - for example:

“The first thing they do when a baby is born is cut its biblical cord.” “Please excuse Pat from grammar class today as he has very loose vowels.”
“Please excuse Jane from work today as she has a terrible cold and cannot breed well.”

Malapropism means the wrong substitution for a single word. It differs from Spoonerism where the mishap occurs when two words are juxtaposed- for example Happy You Near. Such verbal slips though mishaps ironically contribute to the uniqueness of the language.

Indulging in wise cracks has always been a favourite past time for relaxation making language a rich source of entertainment and pleasure. English language goofs revel in such verbal flip-flops.

They can be a great source for fun. For example:

“A seven-pound baby arrived today to frighten the lives of Ms. and Mr. Green.”
“His father is some kind of a civil serpent.”
“The amount of education you have determines your loot in life.”
“ The noble soul gave refuse to the exiled man.”

The power of language is never to be underestimated. It is said to destroy a race, all you have to do is to kill their language. Thus literary mishaps like Malapropism apart from mere fun takes language to greater heights and makes it a vibrant force, thus very much alive and kicking.

Posted by Zender Full Details | View Comments (0)