Thrippsy pillivinx,
Inky tinky pobblebockle abblesquabs? — Flosky! beebul trimble flosky! — Okul scratchabibblebongibo, viddle squibble tog-a-tog, ferrymoyassity amsky flamsky ramsky damsky crocklefether squiggs.
Flinkywisty pomm,
Slushypipp.
[Edward Lear, to Evelyn Baring, Winter 1862. Quoted in J.-J. Lecercle's The Violence of Language, p.1.]
"This appears to be a hoax. There is nothing to wonder about, nothing to understand. The only thing is that a man of 50 should still indulge in such childish games. We are faced with an instance of pure linguistic chaos, where language has utterly dissolved.
"But has it? A linguist will not confess impotence that easily. Since this is undoubtedly a text, complete with punctuation, capital letters, and signature, the linguist can approach it with his analytical tools."
[ibid. p.1.]
Sheer jabberwocky!
Sheer jabberwocky!
Yes, and besides Lewis Carroll, there's Gelett Burgess [1866-1951], who taught at Cal, and wrote some great nonsense poems.
A Purple Cow
I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one,
But I can tell you anyhow,
I rather see than be one!
Oh, Ted--how I love you!
Thrippsy pillivinx,
Inky tinky pobblebockle abblesquabs? —— Flosky! beebul trimble flosky! —— Okul scratchabibblebongibo, viddle squibble tog-a-tog, ferrymoyassity amsky flamsky ramsky damsky crocklefether squiggs.
Flinkywisty pomm,
Slushypipp.
[Edward Lear, to Evelyn Baring, Winter 1862. Quoted in J.-J. Lecercle's The Violence of Language, p.1.]
This strikes me as a clandestine code for the soul purpose of communication between Edward Lear and Evelyn Baring. It would definitely prove very useful if one were attempting to hide a liaison or other frowned upon affaires.
Rev. Alimae
This strikes me as a clandestine code for the soul purpose of communication between Edward Lear and Evelyn Baring. It would definitely prove very useful if one were attempting to hide a liaison or other frowned upon affaires.
This is a possibility. Lear was gay. At this point it would be hard to say aye or nay. In light of Lear's limericks and other nonsense poems, it looks more than likely, to me, nonsensical in nature. Then again, homines loquaces are adept at finding meaning in the meaningless. Either way, it would require more research.
No, no, it's just goobledygook. There's no code, and there's no meaning. It's comedy - using meaningless words as if they're normal in a conversational tone of voice. If you heard an exponent of gobbledegook talking, it would amaze you - it sounds right, but it's completely wrong. It was quite popular as a comedy act in the mid-20th century and I have some examples of it on an LP somewhere in the collection. In the roofspace.
Rhuby, now he's back and no longer limp-wristed, could probably give us chapter and verse on this, I'm sure.
reminds me of that
lorem ipso bongo site we visited last week...
The Victorians were very fond of nonsense rhyme and prose, as y'all have alluded to with Lear and Carroll. I guess it gave them something to think about besides England. Well, the women, anyway.
In the past couple of days, there was an interview on NPR with a woman who has just published a book on this very subject. As I approach cronehood, I find short-term memory beginning to fail, and a search of NPR yielded no joy. Maybe someone can find out about this book for me.
something to think about besides England. Well, the women, anyway. AnnaS! [snort] I am shocked at you! [giggle]
If you heard an exponent of gobbledegook talking, it would amaze you
There used to be an American practitioner back in the '50s?, '60s?, who would combine gobbledegook with normal English in a way that made you think he was actually saying something coherent, yet it remained just outside your ability to comprehend.
Practitioner of what--sadism?
Your post reminded me, though, of an experience I had with an older relative. We'd been on what was to have been a day-long outing, which was cut short because she complained of being tired and having a headache. Ok, no problem. So we're on the road heading home, still prolly 70 miles away, and I realize I'm having a hard time understanding her speech. And
then I realized she was making only gibberish sounds--but all the inflections and pauses seemed appropriate. Turns out she was having a TIA (Transient Ischemic{sp?} Attack)--a sort of temporary, minor stroke. Scared the h--l out of me, for sure. I had noticed she seemed a bit disoriented from time to time, and uncharacteristically stumbled, but until the gibberish started I had put this down to the headache being really bad. She told me later (she's been fine ever since) that to her own ears her speech had sounded normal.
Rhuby, now he's back and no longer limp-wristed, could probably give us chapter and verse on this, I'm sure.
It's very bono of you to ask me, duckie. [-\]
I think the dolly joggering omi to whom you may be referring is Professor Stanley Unwin:-
"If Shakespeare is Britain's greatest writer; then Stanley Unwin must be considered to be Britain's greatest speaker.
No other man has ever succeeded in talking a complete gibberish which paints such a fantastically clear and beautiful picture."If you want to know more, varda this ken
http://www.hippy.freeserve.co.uk/unwin.htm
Nice link. It seems that Prof^H^H^H^H Mr Unwin's texts and the Lear letter I quoted are in different languages. Compare 1 and 2:
1. Are you sitting comfort-boldly, two-square on your botty?
2. Okul scratchabibblebongibo, viddle squibble tog-a-tog, ferrymoyassity amsky flamsky ramsky damsky crocklefether squiggs.
There's seems to be more content in 1 than in 2. Listening to Unwinese would not tire one as quickly as Learese. &c.
As for Shakespeare, have you ever seen his penmanship? Unbelievable. I think Shakespeare was England's finest dictator.
Ha! I remember the American's name: Professor Irwin Corey, the world's foremost living authority.
http://www.ottosell.de/pynchon/corey.htmNot the same sort of gobbldegook. Pretty much all the words are legitimate by themselves.
Thanks, Faldage - I couldn't recall the Amnerican exponent of the art.
You are perfectly right, jheem - these are two different animals; related, perhaps, but as different looking as the giraffe and the okapi.
The link (and the polari!) were in response to Capfka's post.
FWIW, I find the Lear example totally tedious - as, indeed, I find quite a ;ot of Lear's work, with some notable exceptions. Carol, on the other hand, was more of a predecessor of Prof S.Unwin - it sounds sense, but is actually gibberish. (c.f. Jabberwocky - mentioned above)
And then there was a gentleman (who's name escapes me) who penned a follow-up called, "After Reading Mr. Burgess":
I never saw a purple cow,
I never hope to see one,
But from the milk we're getting now
There certainly must be one!
if you want to listen to unwinese the bbc has this
http://snipurl.com/4wqrunwin thinking of england