English anarchy

It’s one of the most difficult languages to learn and also the most fun to play with 

Years ago Bunny and I were driving with our friends Robin and Annie to their holiday cottage in the tiny seaside village of Sea Palling. Look out for the sign for Hazeboro, said Robin, who was driving. Except, he added, it won’t be spelt Hazeboro but Happisburgh. 

So we looked for signs for Hazeboro spelt Happisburgh, and had a lovely weekend, made all the more memorable for the wonderful weirdness of Happisburgh. 

The British love rules. Like the rule of standing patiently in queues at bus stops or at supermarket checkouts, without pushing or shoving to get to the head of the line. 

They’ll say Please and Thank You even without a hat being dropped. But they’ll throw the rule book out of the window when it comes to their language. 

English is the language of articulated anarchy, its only linguistic law being that there are no laws. With the result that Hazeboro becomes Happisburgh without benefit of a deed poll signed by a Notary Public. 

A Wodehouse character called Ukridge has a middle name spelt Featherstonehaugh, which is pronounced Fanshaw.

Apart from the randomness between spellings and pronunciation, a single word in English can have many identities, more than a Mafia don using multiple aliases to evade the long arm of the law. 

The Chambers crossword dictionary lists 12 different synonyms for the word ‘bust’, 41 for ‘down’, and no less than 50 for ‘reason’.  

The magisterial tome, The Oxford English Dictionary catalogues no fewer than 58 meanings for the word ‘set’ when used as a noun, 126 when it takes on the role of a verb and 10 when it adopts the guise of a participial adjective. 

Some words have twin meanings in that they can simultaneously be themselves and their exact opposite. ‘Cleave’ can mean to cut in half, but can also mean to stick together. ‘Left’ can mean departed or remaining. Both flammable and inflammable mean the same thing. This verbal wackiness makes an ideal playground for the impish double entendre called paronomasia. 

English is a great language to have fun with. Or have pun with. 

END OF ARTICLE