6/30/2020 Eggcorn - Wikipedia

Eggcorn
In linguistics, an eggcorn is an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that
sound similar or identical in the speaker's dialect (sometimes called oronyms). The new phrase
introduces a meaning that is different from the original but plausible in the same context, such as "old-
timers' disease" for "Alzheimer's disease".[1] An eggcorn can be described as an intra-lingual phono-
semantic matching, a matching in which the intended word and substitute are from the same language.

Contents
Etymology
Similar phenomena
Examples
See also
References
Further reading
External links

Etymology
The term eggcorn was coined by professor of linguistics Geoffrey Pullum in September 2003 in response
to an article by Mark Liberman on the website Language Log, a blog for linguists.[2] Liberman discussed
the case of a woman who substitutes the phrase egg corn for the word acorn, and he argued that the
precise phenomenon lacked a name. Pullum suggested using eggcorn itself as a label.

Similar phenomena
An eggcorn differs from a malapropism, the latter being a substitution that creates a nonsensical phrase.
Classical malapropisms generally derive their comic effect from the fault of the user, while eggcorns are
substitutions that exhibit creativity, logic[3] or ignorance.[4] Eggcorns often involve replacing an
unfamiliar, archaic, or obscure word with a more common or modern word ("baited breath" for "bated
breath").[5]

The phenomenon is similar to the form of wordplay known as the pun except that, by definition, the
speaker or writer intends the pun to have some humorous effect on the recipient, whereas one who
speaks or writes an eggcorn is often unaware.[6]

It is also similar to, but differs from, a mondegreen or a folk etymology.[7]

Examples
ex-patriot instead of expatriate[8]
for all intensive purposes instead of for all intents and purposes[9]
on the spurt of the moment instead of on the spur of the moment[3]
preying mantis instead of praying mantis[10]

See also
Hypercorrection
Mumpsimus

References
1. "eggcorn n.". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (fifth ed.). Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt. 2011. ISBN 0-547-04101-2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggcorn 1/2
6/30/2020 Eggcorn - Wikipedia

2. Erard, Michael (June 20, 2006). "Analyzing Eggcorns and Snowclones, and Challenging Strunk and
White" (https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/science/20lang.html?ex=1308456000&en=76bbb00d35
5e9796&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss). The New York Times. p. 4. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
3. Peters, Mark (March–April 2006). "Word Watch: The Eggcorn – Lend Me Your Ear" (https://web.archi
ve.org/web/20060709191315/http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20060214-000002.html).
Psychology Today. 39 (2): 18. Archived from the original (http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-200
60214-000002.html) on 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2006-07-13.
4. Katy Steinmetz (30 May 2015). "This Is What 'Eggcorns' Are (and Why They're Jar-Droppingly
Good)" (https://time.com/3902230/what-is-an-eggcorn/). Time.
5. Staff (2006-08-26). "The word: Eggcorns" (https://www.newscientist.com/channel/opinion/mg191256
62.000-the-word-eggcorns.html). New Scientist. p. 52. Retrieved 2006-12-21. LexisNexis link (http://
web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_m=9622991d5fd55ae9cfabe1b3b039ef4c&_docnum=1&w
chp=dGLzVlz-zSkVA&_md5=2a09e1dd3eb6ec57bb716672068cdebd)
6. Zwicky, Arnold (2 Nov 2003). "LADY MONDEGREEN SAYS HER PEACE ABOUT EGG CORNS" (ht
tp://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/000074.html).
7. Pullum, Geoffrey K (October 27, 2003). "Phrases for lazy writers in kit form" (http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/
~myl/languagelog/archives/000061.html). Language Log. Retrieved November 25, 2007.
8. Anu Garg (February 21, 2013). "eggcorn" (https://wordsmith.org/words/eggcorn.html). A Word A
Day.
9. " 'For All Intensive Purposes': An Eggcorn" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/usage-f
or-all-intensive-purposes-intents). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
10. Butterfield, Jeremy (2009). Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=atEUDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA59). Oxford University Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-19-957409-4.

Further reading
Diamond, Graeme (September 2010). "September 2010 new words" (http://oed.com/news/updates/n
ewwords1009.html). Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
Freeman, Jan (2010-09-26). "So wrong it's right" (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/
2010/09/26/so_wrong_its_right/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Jan+Freeman+columns). The Boston
Globe. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
Liberman, Mark, and Geoffrey K. Pullum. (2006) Far from the Madding Gerund and Other
Dispatches from Language Log. Wilsonville, OR: William, James & Co.
Liberman, Mark. (2003-09-23) "Egg corns: folk etymology, malapropism, mondegreen, ???" (http://itr
e.cis.upenn.edu/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/000018.html) Language Log (weblog) Retrieved
2009-06-23.
Peters, Mark. (2006-08-09) "Like a Bowl in a China Shop." (http://chronicle.com/article/Like-a-Bowl-in
-a-China-Shop/46736/) The Chronicle of Higher Education: Chronicle Careers. Retrieved 2009-06-
23.
"How the Web Is Changing Language." (https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5518
444) Talk of the Nation (radio program), 2006-06-28.
"Yours sins nearly." (https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125700.700-yours-sins-nearly.html)
New Scientist 2570, 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
Harbeck, James. (2010-06-02) "My Veil of Tears" (http://sesquiotic.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/my-ve
il-of-tears/) Retrieved 2012-01-26.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eggcorn&oldid=963146330"

This page was last edited on 18 June 2020, at 04:01 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site,
you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a
non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggcorn 2/2