Eggcorn David Tuggy ILVMexico Pat Schweiterman Moderator The Eggcorn Forum httpeggcornslascribenetforum Eggcorns Eggcorns introduced on Language ID: 200823
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Towards a definition for the category" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Towards a definition for the category
“Eggcorn”
David
Tuggy
ILV-Mexico
Pat
Schweiterman
Moderator: The
Eggcorn
Forum
(http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/forum)Slide2
Eggcorns
“Eggcorns” introduced on Language Log 2003. In 2010 the OED accepted the termAn
Internet-
enabled
phenomenon
:
easy
to
check
for
occurrences
of a
suspected
case and
to
share
them
with
other
enthusiasts
(
eggcornistas
)
Language
Log
The
Eggcorn
Database
(
incl
Forum
)
Language
columnists
etc.
Thousands
collected
.
E.g.
:Slide3
Eggcorns
egg corns < acornsvoiceterous < boisterousdayview < débutstar-craving mad < stark
raving
mad
deformation
of
character
<
defamation
…
scissorian
section
<
Caesarian
section
(
a.k.a.
sea
section
)
little
petty-Annie
complaints
<
penny
-ante
in
Lehmann’s
terms
<
in
layman’s
terms
pawnsie
scheme
<
Ponzi
scheme
That’s
gonna
cost
you
a nominal
egg
<
an
arm
& a
legSlide4
Eggcorns
Shared characteristics of these examples (surprisingly complex):(a) Ǝ an acorn: a widely accepted (“correct”)
standard structure
which the
perpetrator
could reasonably be expected to wish to evoke, and which in any case is evoked in the mind of the
analyst
.
E.g.
acorns
,
stark raving mad
,
an arm and a leg
, etc. Slide5
Eggcorns
(b) The perpetrator uses a signal/signifiant (spoken/written) which evokes, for both perpetrator and analyst, a semantic structure strikingly different from that of the acorn. E.g. the images of an egg and of corn(s) are evoked by eggcorns but not particularly by acorns.The analyst sees this as an obvious
restructuring
of the acorn
that restructured word or phrase is
the
eggcorn
. Slide6
Eggcorns
(c) The analyst understands the eggcorn to be an error on the part of the perpetrator. (d) As implied by (a) and (b), the signifiants of the acorn and the eggcorn are different enough to make it clear that the perpetrator has the
eggcorn
rather than the acorn in mind.
(e)
Nevertheless,
the
signifiants
of the acorn and
eggcorn
are very similar
.
They
are likely to be difficult to distinguish on many occasions of use.
e.g. [ˈ
ɛgkoɹn
] / [ˈ
eʲgkoɹn
] and [ˈ
eʲkoɹn
]Slide7
Eggcorns
(f) The restructuring makes sense. An acorn is indeed egg-shaped and corn-like. This restructuring is likely to make good-enoughsense to communicate in any context where the word acorn would be used.
(Boston
Globe
stock
photo
)Slide8
Eggcorns
[(e) + (f) =] (g) The eggcorn and the acorn are largely interchangeable. The eggcorn is so similar to the acorn, both in its signifiant or signal and in its overall meaning, that (i) the perpetrator can use it without the audience (of potential analysts) realizing that the acorn is not being used.(ii
)
others
can use
the
acorn
without
the
perpetrator
realizing
it
is
not
the
eggcorn
.Slide9
Eggcorns
Prototypically true and typically judged relevant:(h) The perpetrator is unaware that the acorn is standard and that most speakers would use it in this context. (i) The perpetrator believes that the eggcorn is standard and is unaware of having committed an error.Slide10
Eggcorns
In the perpetrator’s mind:Ǝ the Saussurean symbol eggcorn.Slide11
Eggcorns
In the perpetrator’s mind:Ǝ the Saussurean symbol eggcorn.It is “composed of” (=
sanctioned
by
)
egg
and
corn
.Slide12
Eggcorns
In the perpetrator’s mind:Ǝ the Saussurean symbol eggcorn.It is “composed of” (=
sanctioned
by
)
egg
and
corn
.
This
whole
structure
is
established
as
standard
.Slide13
Eggcorns
The analyst is aware of all of this as well (though it is
not
standard
for
him
/
her
).Slide14
Eggcorns
But the analyst also has strongly entrenched the symbol acornSlide15
Eggcorns
Also the analyst is very aware of the discrepancies between this
standard
structure
(
acorn
) and
the
perpetrator’s
standard
(
eggcorn
).Slide16
Eggcorns
The designata (profiled meanings) are very close; but the phonological structures
differSlide17
Eggcorns
Overall, then, the eggcorn is seen by the analyst as a distortion of
the
acorn
.Slide18
Eggcorns
(An abbreviated way to diagram the same thing.)Slide19
Eggcorns
Showing “features” as schemas:Slide20
Eggcorns
Abstracting to get linguistic terms:Slide21
Eggcorns
and other categoriesEggcorns are usefully compared and contrasted with a number of more-traditional linguistic categories.
Probably
the
closest
one
is
the
category
of folk-
etymologies
.Slide22
Eggcorns
and other categoriesIn a “folk etymology”There once was a standard structure, the analog of the acorn [(a)],which perpetrators changed into a similar-sounding structure [(d), (e)] which evokes rather different imagery [(b)] in order to achieve a similar, functionally substitutable overall meaning [(g)]. The restructuring must make some kind of sense [(f)] for this to work very well.Slide23
Eggcorns
and other categoriesIn a “folk etymology”For an analyst for whom the original structure is standard, this is an error [(c)]for the perpetrators it is quite standard [(g), (h), (i)],But in a folk etymology the eggcorn has been so
successful
as
to
replace
the
acorn
;
thus
(a)
is
no
longer
fully
realized
. (
e.g.
shamefaced
, *
sham
(e)
fast
)Slide24
Eggcorns
and other categoriesAn eggcorn is an incipient, not-yet-fully-successful
folk
etymology
.Slide25
Eggcorns
and other categoriesA “mondegreen” is a reanalysis caused by mishearing (and ignorance).E.g. “they
hae
slain
the
Earl
O’Murray
and Lady
Mondegreen
”
= and
laid
him
on
the
green
.
The
“wild,
strange
,
battlecry
of
the
Light
Brigade
”:
Haffely
,
Gaffely
!
Gaffely
,
Gonward
!
=
Half
a league,
half
a league,
half
a league
onward
!Slide26
Eggcorns
and other categoriesMost eggcorns are mondegrenous in their origin.But most mondegreens are not
eggcornical
.
Most
mondegreens
occur
only
in
one
very
specific
context
(
e.g.
only
in
the
poem
about
the
Light Brigade)
Most mondegreens
do
not
make
good
sense
even
in
their
original
context
.
Surely
good
Mrs. Murphy
<
Surely
goodness
and
mercy
makes
no
sense
in
Ps.
23.Slide27
Eggcorns
and other categoriesA mondegreen that is standard for its user, makes sense, and is adaptable to many contexts, is an eggcorn.Slide28
Eggcorns
and other categoriesA malapropism is “using the wrong word”.Typically the perp
means
the
right
word
,
just
doesn’t
realize
how
it’s
pronounced
.
Mrs.
Malaprop
thought
allegory
meant
She
didn’t meanallegory
at
all
.
The
eggcorn
lady did mean
egg
and
corn
.Slide29
Eggcorns
and other categoriesThis is not restructuring.It also does not make
sense
,
if
it
is
taken
seriously
:
Allegories
do
not
fit
even
as
well
as
alligators
along
the
banks
of
the Nile
.Yet
eggcorns
are
,
loosely
defined
, a
sub-
class
of
malapropisms
.Slide30
Eggcorns
and other categoriesAn eggcorn is a malapropism that makes sense (and which the perpetrator uses because of that sense).Slide31
Eggcorns
and other categoriesAn eggcorn that the perpetrator is aware of and uses on purpose
is
a
kind
of pun.
An
eggcorn
is an inadvertent
yet standard-for-the-user
pun
that makes good sense
in many contexts.Slide32
The
OED definition“An alteration of a word or phrase through the mishearing or reinterpretation of one or more of its elements as a similar-sounding word.”This fails to distinguish eggcorns from other categories. All mondegreens, and possibly all malapropisms, many puns and other examples of wordplay, would be subclasses of eggcorns. It’s the other way around!Slide33
The
OED definitionPerhaps instead:“A restructuring, erroneously considered standard by its user, of a word or phrase [through the mishearing or misinterpretation of one or more of its elements as a similar-sounding word or element], such that the restructured word or phrase makes good sense in most contexts of usage.”Slide34
(some
more examplesthe aftermass of the storm < aftermathanother words < in other words
in
any
weight
shape
or
form
<
way
shape
or
form
cute as
I’ll
get
out
<
as
all
get-out
learning by
wrote < learning
by
rote
wile
away
the
time
<
while
away
the
time
you’ve
got
another
thing
coming
<
another
think
Wholly
crap
!
have
you
seen
…
<
Holy
crap
!
do
your
upmost
<
do
your
utmostSlide35
Powerpoint
to be available atwww.sil.org/~tuggyd