Anguish Languish
Encyclopedia
Anguish Languish is an ersatz language
constructed from English language
words by Howard L. Chace in the book Anguish Languish. It is not really a language but rather a homophonic transformation created as a work of humor. Example: "Mural: Yonder nor sorghum stenches shut ladle gulls stopper torque wet strainers." This means: Moral: Under no circumstances should little girls stop to talk with strangers.
Chace's story "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" is "Little Red Riding Hood
" re-written with similar-sounding words substituting for the original folk tale. A professor of French
, Chace wrote "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" in 1940 to demonstrate that the intonation
of spoken English is almost as important to the meaning as the words themselves. It was first published in Gene Sherman
's "Cityside" column in the Los Angeles Times
in 1953, reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle
and in the first issue of Sports Illustrated
in 1954.
In "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut", a single word replaces several in the correct version (e.g., "evanescent" from "if it isn't"), and sometimes several words replace one longer word ("on forger nut" for "unfortunate"). Every word can be found in most collegiate dictionaries, with the exception of "icer" (which is in Merriam-Webster's Unabridged).
Although written with a serious purpose in mind, the story's humorous aspects cannot be ignored, especially with Chace's additions of phrases not in the traditional story ("A nervous sausage bag ice!" for "I never saw such big eyes!") and the abrupt, non-traditional ending.
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
constructed from English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words by Howard L. Chace in the book Anguish Languish. It is not really a language but rather a homophonic transformation created as a work of humor. Example: "Mural: Yonder nor sorghum stenches shut ladle gulls stopper torque wet strainers." This means: Moral: Under no circumstances should little girls stop to talk with strangers.
Chace's story "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" is "Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
" re-written with similar-sounding words substituting for the original folk tale. A professor of French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Chace wrote "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" in 1940 to demonstrate that the intonation
Intonation (linguistics)
In linguistics, intonation is variation of pitch while speaking which is not used to distinguish words. It contrasts with tone, in which pitch variation does distinguish words. Intonation, rhythm, and stress are the three main elements of linguistic prosody...
of spoken English is almost as important to the meaning as the words themselves. It was first published in Gene Sherman
Gene Sherman (reporter)
Gene Sherman was a journalist who won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the Los Angeles Times. Sherman started his 30 years on staff as a cub reporter covering nearly all the regular news beats from police and sheriff to municipal and Superior Courts...
's "Cityside" column in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
in 1953, reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
and in the first issue of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
in 1954.
Book
After Arthur Godfrey read "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" on one of his programs, the heightened interest led to the publication of Chace's stories and nursery rhymes in Anguish Languish (Prentice-Hall, 1956), illustrated by Hal Doremus.In "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut", a single word replaces several in the correct version (e.g., "evanescent" from "if it isn't"), and sometimes several words replace one longer word ("on forger nut" for "unfortunate"). Every word can be found in most collegiate dictionaries, with the exception of "icer" (which is in Merriam-Webster's Unabridged).
Although written with a serious purpose in mind, the story's humorous aspects cannot be ignored, especially with Chace's additions of phrases not in the traditional story ("A nervous sausage bag ice!" for "I never saw such big eyes!") and the abrupt, non-traditional ending.
See also
- Afferbeck LauderAfferbeck LauderAfferbeck Lauder was the pseudonym used by Alastair Ardoch Morrison , an Australian graphic artist and author who in the 1960s documented Strine in the song With Air Chew and a series of books beginning with Let Stalk Strine...
- MondegreenMondegreenA mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
- Mots d'Heures
- N'Heures Souris RamesN'Heures Souris RamesMots D'Heures: Gousses, Rames: The D'Antin Manuscript , published in 1967 by Luis d'Antin van Rooten is purportedly a collection of poems written in archaic French with learned glosses...