[Ads-l] Child's misunderstanding: "the donzerly light"
Cohen, Gerald Leonard
gcohen at MST.EDU
Mon Apr 25 16:34:41 UTC 2016
Yesterday a family friend drew "donzerly light" to my attention-- reportedly mentioned in a Reader's Digest article years ago (exact number: ?) as an example of a child's misunderstanding the lyrics of The Star Spangled Banner ("the dawn's early light").
The child misunderstood "donzerly as an adjective describing "light." Btw, Google shows there's actually a book with the title "The Donzerly Light" (2010; by Ryne Douglas Pearson).
Gerald Cohen
P.S. Also, a Mondegreen came up in the conversation; "a nominal egg" (an arm and a leg), referring to an exorbitant cost.
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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