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英语杂谈:Eggcorns and mondegreens

Eggcorn 耳误词,口误词

在语言学中,这个词叫做 eggcorn (指耳误词,口误词),是语言学家杰弗里·普勒姆(Geoffrey Pullum)在21世纪初发明的一个标签,用来描述那些因听错而产生新词的单词或短语。 eggcorn该词本身就是最初有人把acorn听成或者说成eggcorn而形成的。

例如,有人把 Alzheimer’s disease(阿尔茨海默病)说成或听成是 old-timers’ disease (老人病),两词组发音相近,意思也一样,人们一般会把old-timers’ disease 理解为Alzheimer’s disease。所以,eggcorn 有时也被称为“谐音词” (oronyms)。

再例如,“For all intent and purposes” (实际上;所有意图和目的)是一个固定词组——可能是固有的冗余,但它是习语。然而,它被误听成为 for all intensive purposes。 有时还会出现在印刷的媒体中。这也是是一个eggcorn。

eggcorn 有别于 malaprop (近音词误用,等于 malapropism)。malaprop 也包括用一个词或词组替换一个发音相似的词或词组,但这种误用没有逻辑可言;而 eggcorn 背后有其创造力和逻辑性。

以下是常见的 eggcorn (括弧内是最初的词汇)

Abject lesson (object lesson)
Bad wrap (bad rap)
Beckon call (beck and call)
Butt naked (buck naked)
Deep-seeded (deep-seated)
Doggy-dog (dog-eat-dog)
Far be it for me (far be it from me)
For all intensive purposes (for all intents and purposes)
Hare’s breath (hair’s breadth)
Neck in neck (neck and neck)
On tenderhooks (on tenterhooks)
One in the same (one and the same)
Road to hoe (row to hoe)
Safety-deposit box (safe-deposit box)

Mondegreen 空耳;听错短语或整句话

Mondegreens 指的是对一个短语或整句话的误解或误读,从而赋予它新的含义,类似一种叫做“空耳”的娱乐形式。Mondegreens 通常是一个人在听一首诗或一首歌的时候创造的; 当听者听不清歌词时,就用听起来相似且有某种意义的词来代替。1954年,美国作家西尔维娅·赖特创造了这个词。这个说法来自苏格兰作家西尔维亚·莱特(Sylvia Write,),她在1954年发表在《哈泼斯》杂志上的一篇文章中提到了对一首苏格兰民谣的误读。原来那句“They hae slain the Earl o’ Moray and laid him on the green,”(他们杀了马里伯爵,把他放到草地上了),她听错了,听成了“They hae slain the Earl o’ Moray and Lady Mondegreen.”(他们杀了马里伯爵和蒙德格林夫人。)。

eggcorn 与 Mondegreens 最大的区别在于:eggcorn 主要是指听错单词,而mondegreen 主要指听错整句话。

以下是几个最著名的错误引用的歌词:

Mondegreen: We are living in a Cheerio world, and I am a Cheerio girl.
Should be: We are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.
Material Girl – Madonna

Mondegreen: Wrapped up like a douche, another runner in the night.
Should be: Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night.
Blinded by the Light – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

Mondegreen: There’s a bathroom on the right.
Should be: There’s a bad moon on the rise.
Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Mondegreen: And there’s a wino down the road.
Should be: And as we wind on down the road.
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin

Mondegreen: ‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy.
Should be: ‘Scuse me, while I kiss the sky.
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix


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