Favoured etymological sources: Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's New World: Third Edition. Sources for usage (pronunciation, spelling or pluralisation): The previous, as well as American Heritage Dictionary: Fourth Edition, Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of the English Language: 1960, and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition. Primary source for phonology: Kenstowicz's Phonology in Generative Grammar: 1994.
My favorite mondegreen is from "Kokomo" (Beach Boys):
To Martinique, that Monserrat mystique
misheard as
Vermont’s unique, Vermont’s a rotten state
I have a friend, Mandy Green, whose name is a mondegreen of "mondegreen.” She wrote a kids' book, "Gazoon High Twizzle," about a mondegreen of "gesundheit whistle," which means whistling after a sneeze. See it in animation at GazoonHighTwizzle.com.
Perfect.
ReplyDeleteThat's the saddest thing I've ever seen... poor elf. In fact, that's about exactly how I feel these days.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite mondegreen is from "Kokomo" (Beach Boys):
ReplyDeleteTo Martinique, that Monserrat mystique
misheard as
Vermont’s unique, Vermont’s a rotten state
I have a friend, Mandy Green, whose name is a mondegreen of "mondegreen.” She wrote a kids' book, "Gazoon High Twizzle," about a mondegreen of "gesundheit whistle," which means whistling after a sneeze. See it in animation at GazoonHighTwizzle.com.