![]() "The team found that some words were indeed funnier than others. The team used a computer program to generate thousands of random nonsense words and then asked almost 1,000 students to rate them for 'funniness.'. " study, led by a team from the department of psychology at the University of Alberta, explored the theory that some nonsense words are inherently funnier than others–in part because they are simply less expected. Seuss, There's a Wocket in My Pocket, 1974) There’s a nink in the sink.Īnd a zamp in the lamp. "Sometimes I have the feeling there’s a zlock behind the clock.Īnd that zelf up on that shelf! I have talked to him myself. ![]() Seuss, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, 1960)Ī Thneed's a FineSomethingThatAllPeopleNeed! "How I like to box! So, every day, I buy a gox. What makes the poem so vivid and effective in many respects is the ability of the author to evoke images based on the grammatical knowledge of the native or highly proficient non-native speaker." " is famous for consisting of nonsense words mixed in with normal English words. ( The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories, 1991) ![]() A meaningless nonsense word itself, jabberwocky appropriately enough became a generic term for meaningless speech or writing." ![]() Renowned among such words is jabberwocky, used by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass as the title of a nonsense poem about a fantastic monster called a jabberwock. "A number of words originally coined or used as nonsense words have taken on specific meanings in subsequent use. (Lewis Carroll, "Jabberwocky." Through the Looking-Glass, 1871) (Edward Lear, "The Quangle Wangle's Hat," 1877) "On the top of the Crumpetty TreeThe Quangle Wangle sat,įor his Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,Īnd bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,. ![]()
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