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Mondegreen
A mondegreen () is a mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase in a way that gives it a new meaning. Mondegreens are most often created by a person listening to a poem or a song; the listener, being unable to hear a lyric clearly, substitutes words that sound similar and make some kind of sense. The American writer Sylvia Wright coined the term in 1954, recalling a childhood memory of her mother reading the Scottish ballad " The Bonny Earl of Murray" (from Thomas Percy's 1765 book ''Reliques of Ancient English Poetry''), and mishearing the words "layd him on the green" as "Lady Mondegreen". Drawings by Bernarda Bryson. Reprinted in: Contains the essays "The Death of Lady Mondegreen" and "The Quest of Lady Mondegreen". "Mondegreen" was included in the 2000 edition of the ''Random House Webster's College Dictionary'', and in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' in 2002. Merriam-Webster's ''Collegiate Dictionary'' added the word in 2008. Etymology In a 1954 essay in ''Harper's Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bonnie Earl O' Moray
"The Bonnie Earl o' Moray" (Child 181,''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'', Edited by Francis James Child in Five Volumes, Dover Publications, Minneola, New York, 2006. Roud 334) is a popular Scottish ballad, which may date from as early as the 17th century. Background The ballad touches on a true story stemming from the rivalry of James Stewart, Earl of Moray (pronounced Murray), and the Earl of Huntly, which culminated in Huntly's murder of Moray in 1592. The exact circumstances that led to the murder are not known for certain, but both their families, the Stewarts of Doune (pronounced "doon") and the Gordons of Huntly, had a history of territorial rivalry and competition for royal favour. In his notes on the ballad, Francis James Child relates how Huntly, eager to prove that Moray was plotting with the Earl of Bothwell against King James VI, received a commission to bring Moray to trial. In the attempt to apprehend Moray, the earl's house at Donibristle in Fife was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
