This website both fascinates me and drives me crazy. They are examples of the very things that I hear here in the south that drive me mad.
As an introduction, an "eggcorn" is a term applied to those turns of phrase in the English language that began as mistakes and have become more mainstream. Eggcorn itself comes from a constant mispronunciation of "acorn".
For example "to name a view" instead of "to name a few", "towed the line" instead of "toed the line", and (this one I have heard locally) "bobwire" instead of "barbed wire". This website contains both the definition of the individual eggcorns, a history of where it came from, and citations of it in print.
My question for you is, at one point do we just say, "WRONG!" (which is my inclination) instead of accepting the changes!
http://eggcorns.lascribe.net/
Eggcorns
Eggcorns
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
- Dr. Goodword
- Site Admin
- Posts: 7607
- Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:28 am
- Location: Lewisburg, PA
- Contact:
EGGCORNS
Funny you should mention them: There is no better place than here to learn about eggcorns, in fact:
http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=33
http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=33
• The Good Dr. Goodword
Re: EGGCORNS
Yes, well, nevermind that I missed that whole article, good Dr., they still drive me nuts!Funny you should mention them: There is no better place than here to learn about eggcorns, in fact:
http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=33
Suzanne D. Williams, Author
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
http://www.feelgoodromance.com
-
- Junior Lexiterian
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:50 pm
- Location: N Texas
- Contact:
- Slava
- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 8491
- Joined: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:31 am
- Location: Finger Lakes, NY
Re: Eggcorns
An old thread, but here's a new article to add:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... orn-moment
I must disagree, however, with the name of this phenomenon. I cannot see how anyone would ever hear eggcorn in acorn. Those very first sounds are completely separate in my book. I can deal with egg sit, but eggcess doesn't cut it. I also think the majority of these things are actually dreamed up, not real mis-understandings.
"Excuse me while I kiss this guy" is real, I gather.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... orn-moment
I must disagree, however, with the name of this phenomenon. I cannot see how anyone would ever hear eggcorn in acorn. Those very first sounds are completely separate in my book. I can deal with egg sit, but eggcess doesn't cut it. I also think the majority of these things are actually dreamed up, not real mis-understandings.
"Excuse me while I kiss this guy" is real, I gather.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.
-
- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 3333
- Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
- Location: RUSTON, LA
- Contact:
Re: Eggcorns
Bobwire for barbedwire has been around in common usage in Texas and elsewhere for at least sixty years, prob longer. Isn't that long enough to qualify as a word in itself? Especially since that's the term used by farmers and ranchers who actually erect fences with the stuff?
pl
-
- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 2784
- Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
- Location: Texas
Re: Eggcorns
Perry, the correct pronunciation for barbed wire in Texas is "bob woar". A computer programmer, who once worked for me (and was a very good at her job), insisted that it was "Bob Woar" because it was named fore the man who invented it.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
-
- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 2784
- Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2006 4:41 am
- Location: Texas
Omit
Last edited by Philip Hudson on Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
-
- Great Grand Panjandrum
- Posts: 3333
- Joined: Wed Jan 03, 2007 12:41 pm
- Location: RUSTON, LA
- Contact:
Re: Eggcorns
Well sure, Phillip. Just lak firetruck be pronounced fahrtruck. The H is added for stress.
pl
Return to “The Rebel-Yankee Test”
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest