Word differences
by Bob on June 14, 2007
Words are amazing things. So are human gestures and body language, what is called non-verbal communication. These latter gestures seem to over-ride whatever words are being exchanged between people whilst conversing.
But we look at something seemingly more trivial and banal now.
Words, which if one letter is switched, a totally different, but not altogether absurd meaning comes to light.
Freud spoke of the psychology of "errors" or as we call it today the proverbial "Freudian slip" in using words. Freud thought the slip was no accident, and was a realisation of something going on in our subconscious.
So, we look at such words. Single or multiple letter interpolations can make all the difference. And what the corresponding new word and its connotations mean.
This can be more generalised to substitution of letters not in the original word, or a multi-letter interpolation.
We start with a simple permutation of the word and see what corresponding word comes up and if it's at all related. We might be surprised.
1. wired - weird
Sometimes we see people who are "wired" which means quite
nervous and hyperactive. To many this would result in weird
behaviour.
2. tow - two
It takes two things to tow something.
3. drop - prod
When a person prods into another's business or affair, it is
like dropping something heavy or dropping into their lives.
4. demon - monde
"Monde" is the French word for "world". Many people believe
in this world there are many demons to contend with.
5. vile - evil - live
Vile and evil are almost synonyms. And to live might be
evil or vile to some people, if they believe in souls entrapped
in a material body and world.
6. life - file
Everybody is a number these days and a folder in a file
cabinet of some government bureaucracy.
7. words - sword
Words are very frequently as powerful as sword.
8. male - lame
Many consider most men to be lame in many ways. Then
again, many men consider women lame in some way. But
the wordplay only works out for men and lame. ;)
9. won - now
If we win, we are definitely living in the glory of the now
and the winning moment.
10. lose - sole
If one is lonely or otherwise solitary, hence a sole being,
one frequently loses out in life. Life is meant for a couples.
Adam was lonely and asked for a companion and got Eve
which was great until she persuaded him to eat the apple.
But they still remained together. Similarly, Frankenstein's
monster, paralleling the biblical story, said he was lonely
and got a bride from Dr. Frankenstein.
11. love - vole
Love can sneak up on it when we least expect it. A vole
is a little mouse that can sneak in anywhere. Like falling
in love.
12. slop - lops
To lop something off is frequently to be either sloppy or
neat.
13. eat - tea
Tea frequently accompanies a meal.
14. rule - lure
A rule frequently lures us into something we didn't quite
expect.
And it goes on. Oh let's throw in some academic and scholarly papers, too, while we're at it.
* * *
Science 18 July 2003, Vol. 301. no. 5631, pp. 322 - 323
Perspectives
NEUROSCIENCE: When Is a Word Not a Word?
Anthony R. McIntosh and Nancy J. Lobaugh
It has long been debated whether specialization of the left and right brain hemispheres with regard to language depends on the linguistic stimulus itself or on the task that must be performed with that stimulus. In their Perspective, McIntosh and Lobaugh discuss new work (Stephan et al.) that resolves this debate, showing that it is the task to be performed with a linguistic stimulus that dictates which hemisphere is the most active.