[Ads-l] capitonym

[Laurence Horn]

I have a 20 year old NYT headline on my office door involving a capitonymic ambiguity. It reads…well, it will be more dramatic this way, for a reason you’ll see when you click on the link:

https://tinyurl.com/y6hd9xgs

LH


> On Jul 20, 2019, at 2:24 PM, Mark Mandel <markamandel at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> Sent to me by a friend:
> 
> A *capitonym* is a word that changes its meaning (and sometimes
> pronunciation) when it is capitalized; the capitalization usually applies
> due to one form being a proper noun or eponym. It is a portmanteau of the
> word *capital* with the suffix *-onym*.
> 
> See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitonym
> 
> Mark (not a mark)
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org