Zzxjoanw
Encyclopedia
Zzxjoanw is a famous fictitious entry
which fooled logologists
for many years. In 1903, author Rupert Hughes
published The Musical Guide, including a section containing a "pronouncing and defining dictionary of terms, instruments, etc". The "dictionary" occupied 252 pages, explaining the meanings and pronunciations of the German
, Italian
and other non-English words found in the terminology of classical music
. As the very end of the dictionary, immediately after an entry for "zymbel" (German for cymbal
), Hughes added the following definition:
The entry was retained when the book was republished under different titles in 1912 and 1939.
According to Dmitri Borgmann
's 1965 book Language on Vacation: An Olio of Orthographical Oddities, printed before it was revealed as a hoax
:
In 1974 Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words, while accepting the word's meaning as a "Maori drum", rejected Hughes' pronunciation of "shaw", proposing a somewhat different realization: "ziks-jo'an".
Ross Eckler
describes the hoax in his 1996 book Making the Alphabet Dance:
No other Maori word appears in the dictionary, and the suggested pronunciation of "shaw" does not conform to the format of the dictionary's own pronunciation guide (which gives realizations for sixteen languages, including Welsh
and Arabic
, but not Maori).
The book You Say Tomato: An Amusing and Irreverent Guide to the Most Often Mispronounced Words in the English Language, published in 2005, appears to take the word seriously. Citing "eminent alternative lexicographer Mr. Peter Bowler
" it gives the meaning as a Maori drum; however it declines to offer a pronunciation, saying that "We'll leave the pronunciation to the Maoris, although Welshmen and Poles are said to be able to do wonders with it".
Fictitious entry
Fictitious entries, also known as fake entries, Mountweazels, ghost word and nihil articles, are deliberately incorrect entries or articles in reference works such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and directories. Entries in reference works normally originate from a reliable external source,...
which fooled logologists
Logology
Logology is the study of recreational linguistics, an activity that encompasses a wide variety of word games and wordplay emphasizing letter patterns...
for many years. In 1903, author Rupert Hughes
Rupert Hughes
Rupert Hughes was an American historian, novelist, film director and composer based in Hollywood. Hughes was born in Lancaster, Missouri. His parents were Felix Turner Hughes and Jean Amelia Summerlin, who were married in 1865. His brother Howard R. Hughes, Sr., co-founded the Hughes Tool Company....
published The Musical Guide, including a section containing a "pronouncing and defining dictionary of terms, instruments, etc". The "dictionary" occupied 252 pages, explaining the meanings and pronunciations of the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and other non-English words found in the terminology of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. As the very end of the dictionary, immediately after an entry for "zymbel" (German for cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
), Hughes added the following definition:
The entry was retained when the book was republished under different titles in 1912 and 1939.
According to Dmitri Borgmann
Dmitri Borgmann
Dmitri A. Borgmann is an author best known for coining the word logology and for writing Language On Vacation: An Olio of Orthographical Oddities, published in 1965. This book led Ross Eckler and Trip Payne to join the National Puzzlers' League...
's 1965 book Language on Vacation: An Olio of Orthographical Oddities, printed before it was revealed as a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
:
- "The Music Lovers' Encyclopedia, compiled by Rupert Hughes, revised by Deems Taylor and Russell Kerr, and published in 1954, presents us with one of the most unbelievable, one of the most intriguing letter combinations ever to claim recognition as a word: ZZXJOANW. This spectacular word is so versatile that it possesses not merely one, but three different meanings: (a) drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
; (b) fifeFife (musical instrument)A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer...
; (c) conclusion. The term is of MaoriMaori languageMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
origin"
In 1974 Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words, while accepting the word's meaning as a "Maori drum", rejected Hughes' pronunciation of "shaw", proposing a somewhat different realization: "ziks-jo'an".
Ross Eckler
A. Ross Eckler, Jr.
Albert Ross Eckler, Jr. is a logologist and statistician, the son of statistician A. Ross Eckler. He received a B.A. from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Princeton University....
describes the hoax in his 1996 book Making the Alphabet Dance:
- "The two-Z barrier was breached many years ago in a specialized dictionary, Rupert Hughes's The Musical Guide (later, Music-Lovers Encyclopedia), published in various editions between 1905 and 1956. Its final entry, ZZXJOANW (shaw) Maori 1.Drum 2.Fife 3.Conclusion, remained unchallenged for more than seventy years until Philip Cohen pointed out various oddities: the strange pronunciation, the odd diversity of meanings (including "conclusion") and the non-Maori appearance of the word. (Maori uses the fourteen letters AEGHIKMNOPRTUW, and all words end in a vowel). A hoax clearly entered somewhere; no doubt Hughes expected it to be obvious, but he did not take into account the credulity of logologists, sensitized by dictionary-sanctioned outlandish words such as mlechchha and qaraqalpaq."
No other Maori word appears in the dictionary, and the suggested pronunciation of "shaw" does not conform to the format of the dictionary's own pronunciation guide (which gives realizations for sixteen languages, including Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, but not Maori).
The book You Say Tomato: An Amusing and Irreverent Guide to the Most Often Mispronounced Words in the English Language, published in 2005, appears to take the word seriously. Citing "eminent alternative lexicographer Mr. Peter Bowler
Peter Bowler
Peter Bowler is an Australian lexicographer and author of The Superior Person's Book of Words, The Superior Person's Second Book of Weird and Wondrous Words, and The Superior Person's Third Book of Well-Bred Words...
" it gives the meaning as a Maori drum; however it declines to offer a pronunciation, saying that "We'll leave the pronunciation to the Maoris, although Welshmen and Poles are said to be able to do wonders with it".