[Magdalen] Frivolous question

Jay Weigel jay.weigel at gmail.com
Sat Jul 25 23:17:16 UTC 2015


We all know that when you mis-hear something and turn it into something
else that might make sense to you, it's called a "mondegreen", from the old
Scottish ballad about the Earl of Moray. But what, I ask, could it be
called when you misread something and it looks that way to you forever
after?

Many years ago, so long ago that there were still vinyl LPs, I was looking
through some in a record store and came across something or other of Ralph
Vaughan Williams' compositions in which the orchestra was conducted by
Simon Standage, which I read "Simon Soundstage", for no accountable reason.
Ever since then, every time I see or hear his name, I automatically think,
"Simon Soundstage" and want to giggle. It's a sort of visual mondegreen and
I think there ought to be a name for it. I do this kind of thing a fair
amount, usually when I read something kind of out of the corner of my eye
or when I'm not giving full attention to it. Anyone else?


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