Malapropism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A malapropism is an incorrect usage of a word by substituting a similar-sounding word with different meaning, usually with comic effect. The term comes from the name of a character, Mrs. Malaprop, in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comedy The Rivals (1775).
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[edit] Origin of the term
The word malapropos, an adjective or adverb meaning "inappropriate" or "inappropriately," is believed to have entered English usage around 1660, derived from the French phrase mal à propos (literally meaning "ill to the purpose"). Sheridan presumably named his character Mrs. Malaprop, who frequently misspoke (to great comic effect), in joking reference to this word. The new term "malapropism" was coined to designate the specific kind of mistake, or inappropriate usage, Mrs. Malaprop frequently made.
[edit] Distinguishing features
An instance of misspeech is called a malapropism when:
- The word used means something different to the word (as indicated by the context in which the word was used) the speaker or writer intended to use.
- The word used sounds similar to the word that was apparently meant or intended. Using "obtuse" (wide or dull) instead of "acute" (narrow or sharp) is not a malapropism; using "obtuse" (stupid or slow-witted) when one means "abstruse" (esoteric or difficult to understand) would be.
- The word used has a recognized meaning in the speaker's or writer's language. Simply making up a word, or adding a redundant or ungrammatical prefix or suffix ("irregardless" instead of "regardless") to an existing word, does not qualify as a malapropism.
These characteristics set malapropisms apart from various other speaking or writing mistakes, such as an Eggcorn or Spoonerism.
[edit] Examples
[edit] From The Rivals
- "He's as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile." (i.e., alligator)
- "He is the very pineapple of politeness." (i.e., pinnacle)
- "If I reprehend any thing in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!" (i.e., apprehend, vernacular, arrangement, epithets)
- "Why killing's the matter! Why murder's the matter! But he can give you the perpendiculars." (i.e., particulars, from a scene in Horrible Histories)
[edit] From radio, film and television
- "I've gotta consecrate myself on this newspaper." (i.e. concentrate). — All in the Family (Note the nonstandard use of the reflexive, illustrating a Yiddish-German influence on the dialect of New York City.)
- "I want to be effluent mum!" "You are effluent Kimi..." (i.e. affluent) — Kath and Kim
- "What are you incinerating?..." (i.e. insinuating) — Galton and Simpson, Steptoe and Son ("Doodlebug over Shepherd's Bush")
- "You could have knocked me over with a fender." (i.e. feather) — Jane Ace, one of many malapropisms she used on the old-time radio comedy series, Easy Aces.
- "I heard the sea is infatuated with sharks" (i.e. infested) - Stan Laurel in The Live Ghost.
- "V.D. Day!" (i.e. V-E Day) — Edith Bunker (as played by Jean Stapleton), on television's All in the Family.
- "I'll hunt you and shoot you down like a duck." (dog) — Buford "Mad Dog" Tannen, Back to the Future III
- "I can't even phantom how that must feel!" (i.e. fathom) — Young girl in a television ad for T-Mobile wherein her father sat strapped into a chair while she used up her "anytime minutes."
- "It's a moo ( mu) point." (i.e. moot) — Joey Tribbiani, Friends
- "I resemble that remark!" (i.e. resent) - Stooge Curly Howard, after being insulted by fellow Stooge Moe
- "Let's talk about a very tattoo subject..." (i.e. "taboo") - Various episodes of HBO's "Da Ali G Show".
- "I was given an "old tomato", leave or get thrown out..." (i.e. ultimatum)- Will and Grace
[edit] From popular culture
- "I might just fade into Bolivian, you know what I mean?" (i.e. oblivion) — Mike Tyson
- "I really dig Hannibal. Hannibal had real guts. He rode elephants into Cartilage." (i.e. Carthage) — Mike Tyson
- "I am not going to make a skeptical out of my boxing career." (i.e. spectacle) — Tonya Harding
- "Mark Lee's arms went up like two giant testicles..." (tentacles) - Jack Dyer commentating a VFL match (Mark Lee was a former Richmond ruckman)
- "If it's any consolidation..." (i.e. consolation) — Ken James
- "My nipple."(i.e. dimple) — Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza when asked what her best facial feature was.
- "However, they delineate — quotas, I think, vulcanize society." (i.e. balkanize) -- George W. Bush
- "Oh, you mean the ones with those Disraeli Gears?" (i.e. derailleur gears) -- Cream roadie Mick Turner, during a conversation between Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker about racing bicycles.
- "But beyond crude oil, natural gas and electricity, the Nymex is also a major platform for trading futures and options contracts in all sorts of precocious metals." (i.e. precious metals) --By Laurie Kulikowski TheStreet.com Staff Reporter 11/15/2006 7:01 AM EST
[edit] In Shakespeare
Malapropisms appear in many works written well before Sheridan created their namesake character; William Shakespeare used them in his several of his comedies, often to great effect.
Sergeant Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing:
- "...you shall comprehend all vagrom men..." (i.e. apprehend, vagrant; Act 3, Scene III)
- "...for the watch to babble and to talk is most tolerable and not to be endured." (i.e., intolerable; Act 3, Scene III)
- "Comparisons are odorous." (i.e., odious; Act 3, Scene V)
- "Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons." (i.e., apprehended, suspicious; Act 3, Scene V)
- "Thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this." (i.e., damnation; Act 4, Scene II)
Launcelot in The Merchant of Venice:
- "Certainly [Shylock] is the very devil incarnal..." (i.e., incarnate; Act 2, Scene II)
- "In very brief, the suit is impertinent to myself..." (i.e., pertinent; Act 2, Scene II)
- "That is the very defect of the matter, sir." (i.e., effect; Act 2, Scene II)
[edit] Other fictional characters
- The infants from the show Rugrats constantly used malapropisms.
- Sally Brown from Peanuts often used malapropisms.
- A character in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain requests that Beethoven's Erotica (Eroica) be played at a funeral.
- In the British situation comedy Nearest and Dearest, the main character Nellie Pledge often uses malapropisms such as "Then he laid prostate on the ground." (prostrate), "...sat sitting there like a big business typhoon!" (tycoon), and "I think I can quite safely say without fear of contraception..." (contradiction).
- The character of Ricky (Trailer Park Boys) uses malapropisms on a regular basis: he calls Sasquatches "Saskatchewans," and says his daughter is just going through "phrases."
- Archie Bunker's limited grasp of the English language resulted in a large number of now classic unintentional malapropisms during All in the Family's run (e.g. "vagrant disregard for the law", "the Pope is inflammable", "groinachologist").
- In Only Fools and Horses, Del Boy played by David Jason often uses malapropisms for comic effects, such as "good to be back on the old terracotta" (terra firma).
- In The Sopranos, many characters mangle the English language, and other languages for that matter. Tony Soprano, the protagonist played by James Gandolfini, has committed various malapropisms, such as referring to amor fou, or "crazy love," as "our mofo."
[edit] In Real Life
- It was reported in NewScientist magazine that an office worker described a colleague as 'a vast suppository of information'.
- NewScientist also reported the first ever malapropism for 'malapropism'. The office worker apologised for his error, saying he had committed a 'Miss Marple-ism'.
- Michael Richards, better known as Kramer from Seinfeld, didn't help matters during a Jerry Seinfeld-orchestrated apology on David Letterman's show, making repeated reference to "Afro-Americans" and becoming agitated when the audience tittered at his malapropisms.
