An online journal in which members of The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar document their noble efforts.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Paging Dr. Freud
The misspelling of "Osama" is, perhaps, the worst Freudian slip of the year. It's not as though the S and B are even close to each other on the keyboard.
Martha, consider that this error is one of anticipatory letter transposition. The "b" of "Bin" is misplaced in the first word (as in the classic linguistic blending, "Here's your CAT and HOAT," instead of "Here's your HAT and COAT." Also, the names Obama and Osama *are* now forever linked in history--a link further strengthened by their similar phonetics.
Additionally, the B creates an alliteration. (Alliteration has been called "a powerful force for coherence and emphasis.") Speaking of Freud, note that the reduplicative echo of "Obama Bin" is "Osama Sin."
6 comments:
They made the same mistake on NPR of all places.
Also BBC, Sky News, El Pais -- not a Fox-specific error.
Unbelievable!
Martha, consider that this error is one of anticipatory letter transposition. The "b" of "Bin" is misplaced in the first word (as in the classic linguistic blending, "Here's your CAT and HOAT," instead of "Here's your HAT and COAT." Also, the names Obama and Osama *are* now forever linked in history--a link further strengthened by their similar phonetics.
Additionally, the B creates an alliteration. (Alliteration has been called "a powerful force for coherence and emphasis.") Speaking of Freud, note that the reduplicative echo of "Obama Bin" is "Osama Sin."
It had to happen eventually.
I, for one, have been saying it that way all week...unintentionally, of course.
Post a Comment