I fear I may well have come rather late to the party with this delightful series of podcasts from the endearing and entertainingly educational duo, Gyles Brandreth and Susie Dent, as they chatter about the English language, in 'Something Rhymes With Purple'. [of course we all know that something does not rhyme with purple - burple and curple though do!] However, I am extremely glad I did stumble upon this podcast - appearing quite innocuously in my Twitter feed! - and I shall most certainly be playing 'catch-up' and listening to the rest of the series over the weekend!
Language in all its glorious and inglorious forms has long been a passion, and my love of the origins of language and language usage [along with my hatred of Americanisms....] is well known among my close circle.
This particular episode, titled, 'Eggcorns', was the perfect introduction for me to this series. Much of what I knew already [or at least thought I knew, and had it confirmed] was here, but I had no idea what an 'eggcorn' was, nor had I ever heard the word before. And of course it was that title alone which drew me in.
For those unfamiliar with the two presenters of this podcast then perhaps Susie Dent will be the one more easily recognisable these days, as she has been and still is, the point of reference in Dictionary Corner on both Countdown and the comedy version using the 8 Out Of 10 Cats team, whilst, Giles Brandreth is an ex-politician and perhaps nowadays best known as an author ['Have You Eaten Grandma?] and a contestant on radio's 'Just A Minute'. Both are keen wordsmiths, Dent being a lexicographer and Brandreth a keen grammarian, and yet neither inflict their vastly superior knowledge upon the listener. Instead they impart their offerings with charm and wit, also very cleverly allowing the listener to make sure they are on the same wavelength and starting point by explaining everything - even for those who already knew! - it's good to be reminded.
Anyway, back to Eggcorns. These, we are told are misheard idioms. An idiom [eg.. 'like a bull in a china shop] is misheard, and repeated ['like a bowl in a china shop'], and it somehow sticks and becomes a part of that person's and perhaps others' vocabulary. As Brandreth so rightly pointed out these are nothing more than Malapropisms, but I suppose we could say that the 'genus' is Malapropism and the 'species' is 'Eggcorn'.
Eggcorn, we are informed, comes from a genuine mishearing / misunderstanding, as an American linguist overheard a lady talking about the "eggcorns falling from her oak tree" (obviously meaning 'acorns').
At the end of the podcast, Dent has a regular spot, 'Trio' and imparts three words which the pair would liek to see re-introduced into our language. These are genuine words which have gone out of favour or are quite obscure; and today's three words were 'petrichor', 'a zarf', and 'to spuggle'. But you'll need to listen to the podcast to know their meanings!
During the 30 minute broadcast we learn about other eggcorns too, as well as another 'species' known as 'Malaphors'. Don't worry, if all this sounds a little too much and intellectual for you, trust me, it isn't. It's a little like going back to the quarters of your favourite lecturer and chatting over a cuppa - only for you to look at him quizzically - and then for him to explain everything to you in simple terminology, and you leave with a huge smile on your face! It really isn't 'rocket surgery' , so don't be 'worried stiff' by it all!
I am sure the podcasts should be available on all major podcast sharing sites, but I found mine on www.play.acast.com. I urge you to listen to them, you will be beguiled by the dulcet tones of Dent and Brandreth as they take you on a journey, not putting the cat before the horse, and certainly not going at it like hammer and thongs...a-hem... let's burn that bridge when we get to it, - a journey through some of the less clear waters of our ever-changing and colourful language. And you will undoubtedly learn a couple of things along the way too.
Eggcorns can be found here - https://play.acast.com/s/somethingrhymeswithpurple/eggcorns
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 29/5/19
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