Likelihood is you’ve used a malapropism sooner or later in your life, whether or not you substituted track lyrics you misheard, inserted your individual phrase when one other didn’t really feel proper, or fell again on language that was acquainted and appeared to suit properly sufficient (although possibly not completely). Right here we’ll study malapropisms—what the phrase means and the right way to acknowledge a malapropism whenever you make one or hear others doing it (no disgrace; we’ve all been there!).

What’s a malapropism?

A malapropism (pronounced mal-uh-prop-iz-uhm) is an incorrect phrase that feels like the proper one, usually to comedic impact. In lots of circumstances, the malapropism can have the identical variety of syllables and metric sample and be the identical a part of speech as the proper phrase.

Malapropisms are also called malaprops, acyrologia, and Dogberryisms. Though their most typical title and their origin story are linked to The Rivals, a comedy of manners first carried out in 1775, earlier authors, together with William Shakespeare, used them in character dialogue for comedic impact. One notable instance is the character Constable Dogberry’s tendency towards them in A lot Ado About Nothing. His penchant for malapropisms is the explanation why one of these slip-up is typically known as a Dogberryism.

In The Rivals, a personality named Mrs. Malaprop repeatedly makes use of incorrect phrases that sound much like the proper phrases in context, to humorous impact. Just a few examples of those “authentic” malapropisms embrace:

• “Illiterate [obliterate] him fairly out of your reminiscence.”
• “She’s as headstrong as an allegory [alligator] on the banks of the Nile.”

When authors intentionally use malapropisms (or phrases that originally appear to be malapropisms) of their work, it may be a type of wordplay or a approach to make use of figurative language. For instance, you would possibly say, “I used to be bitten by a snake, and the physician gave me an anecdote. Now I do know all about his adventures within the rainforest!” The joke is that anecdote (a narrative) might be a malapropism for antidote (a treatment), however the second sentence makes it clear that you just did, actually, imply to say anecdote.

How one can acknowledge malapropism

As we famous above, a malapropism is greater than a misused phrase. It’s a misused phrase related in sound to the meant phrase however drastically totally different in which means.

One of the crucial well-known malapropism sources in English is Yogi Berra, who was a baseball participant, supervisor, and coach. Berra as soon as mentioned the next a couple of swap hitter: “He hits from each side of the plate. He’s amphibious.” On this assertion, Berra meant to make use of the phrase ambidextrous, which implies that one is equally able to utilizing one’s left and proper hand.

Let’s evaluate the phrases amphibious and ambidextrous to grasp malapropisms a bit higher:

• Each begin with the letter a.
• Each have 4 syllables.
• Each are adjectives.
• Each stress the second syllable.
• Each include the letter clusters am, bi, and ous.

Not all malapropisms have this many similarities to the speaker’s meant phrase, however all malapropisms are pretty shut on this approach. Nonetheless, if Yogi Berra had substituted anaphylactic for ambidextrous, it wouldn’t have been a malapropism. As an alternative, it could have been a misnomer. A misnomer is a phrase that’s merely incorrect for its context, and for a lot of, misnomers are a grammatical pet peeve.

Step one in recognizing a malapropism is recognizing {that a} phrase is getting used within the flawed context. If a phrase sounds “off” however you possibly can’t fairly place it, look it up. For those who decide that the phrase is getting used incorrectly, discover the proper phrase. If it’s a malapropism, you could find clues concerning the appropriate phrase by inspecting the inaccurate phrase’s first letter, variety of syllables, and stress sample.

Malapropism vs. eggcorn

An eggcorn is sort of a malapropism in that it makes use of the flawed phrase; the distinction is that with an eggcorn, the substituted phrase is sensible within the context. Listed here are just a few sentences that embrace eggcorns:

• Everyone was lip-singing [lip-synching] to my favourite track.
• I may care much less [couldn’t care less] concerning the soccer sport.
• Nip it within the butt [nip it in the bud] earlier than it turns into an issue.

It’s not unusual to listen to individuals consult with acorns as eggcorns, most likely as a result of they’re egg-shaped. Eggcorns may be difficult as a result of some eggcorns, just like the phrase “may care much less,” happen so incessantly that they’ve developed to change into simply as acceptable as their “appropriate” types.

Examples of malapropisms in literature

“I used to be most putrified [petrified] with astonishment.”
—Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

“He’s the very pineapple [pinnacle] of politeness!”
—The Rivals, by Richard Sheridan

“Our watch, sir, have certainly comprehended [apprehended] two auspicious [suspicious] individuals.”
—A lot Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare

“Good Grasp Snare, let him not ’scape. He comes
continuantly to Pie Nook, saving your manhoods, to purchase a
saddle, and he’s indited [invited] to dinner to the Lubber’s Head in
Lumbert Avenue, to Grasp Clean’s the silkman.”
—Henry IV, by William Shakespeare

“Barbarous monster! how have I deserved that my ardour needs to be resulted [insulted] and handled with ironing [irony]?”
—Joseph Andrews, by Henry Fielding

“. . . the boy who cried Woof [wolf]!”
—Sabbath’s Theater, by Philip Roth

Malapropism FAQs

What’s a malapropism?

A malapropism is a phrase utilized in a phrase or sentence that isn’t really the proper phrase to make use of in context however sounds pretty much like the proper phrase.

How do they work?

Malapropisms are characterised by their similarities to the phrases their writers and audio system meant to say and write. Typically, this implies they’ve the identical variety of syllables, include related letter groupings, and are the identical a part of speech.

What’s the distinction between a malapropism and an eggcorn?

Whereas a malapropism describes utilizing the same but incorrect phrase in a phrase or sentence, an eggcorn is the same, incorrect phrase that logically matches the sentence’s context. For instance, lip-singing is an eggcorn for lip-synching as a result of the latter is an imitation of singing performed by mimicking the lyrics’ lip actions.