[Ads-l] Facebook: "uphauled"

[Laurence Horn]

On Feb 19, 2015, at 8:16 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:

> On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 2:55 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> wrote:
> 
>> a malapropism
> 
> 
> We need a new term. After all, in speech, there's no useful distinction
> between "appalled" and "uphauled."
> 
> "Mardon me, padam, but you're occupewing my pie" works in speech as well as
> in writing.

True, but not all malapropisms are spoonerisms.  The OED just has for the former 
'The ludicrous misuse of words, esp. in mistaking a word for another resembling it; an instance of this.'

and similarly, in AHD5:
'Ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound'

Leaving aside the ludicrosity angle, I don't see why this would be limited to reanalysis as revealed in the spoken language. Mistaking one word for another is a mental act and can be evidenced in speech, in writing, or neither.  But Arnold is the expert here.

LH
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