Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Mondegreens and Malapropisms
A mondegreen is the mishearing (usually accidental) of a phrase, such that it acquires a new meaning. The word is itself a mondegreen of "They hae slain the Earl o' Murray and laid him on the green", from the anonymous 17th century ballad 'The Bonnie Earl O' Murray', the last five words being misheard as "Lady Mondegreen". Popular music is a major source of mondegreens. For example, the lyric "There's a bad moon on the rise" from the Creedence Clearwater Revival song Bad Moon Rising was often misheard as "There's a bathroom on the right".
By contrast, a malapropism is an incorrect usage of a word, usually with unintentional comic effect. Although George Bush is often accused of being the king of the malaprop, many of his mistakes aren't, strictly speaking, malapropisms.
By contrast, a malapropism is an incorrect usage of a word, usually with unintentional comic effect. Although George Bush is often accused of being the king of the malaprop, many of his mistakes aren't, strictly speaking, malapropisms.
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