Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ   

Re: JABBERWOCKY (was: Universal Translation Language)

From:Tom Wier <artabanos@...>
Date:Saturday, May 29, 1999, 18:36
"Raymond A. Brown" wrote:

> Oh? > > The only obvious portmanteau words I can see is "slithy" (<- lithe + > slimey) and "mimsy" (<- miserable + flimsy); and those are also the only > two words that Humpty Dumpty says are portmanteau words. > > HD relates "brillig" with 'boiling' and "gimble" with 'gimlet' but doesn't > give any portmanteau explanation. I suppose "gimble" _might_ be 'gimlet' + > 'gambol', but what is "brillig"?
Well, it's been a long time since I read about it, but I remember the first element of "brillig' was "bright".
> No, sorry, I do not see all the words as portmanteaux. To me, at any rate, > it remains ambiguous. I agree whole-heartedly with Gary on this: 'since > the whole piece is _meant_ to be ambiguous, and would lose all its > "meaning" if it were disambiguated.'
Well, I read just that at some point, IIRC. I had always interpreted it as simple playfulness with language, which the author was wont to do.
> Now, for those who like translation exercises for their conlangs, how about > the Jabberwocky? :)
I think it'd be more interesting, if we can find the portmanteau-meanings, if we could recreate the same effect in our contranslations. =========================================== Tom Wier <artabanos@...> AIM: Deuterotom ICQ: 4315704 <http://www.angelfire.com/tx/eclectorium/> "Cogito ergo sum, sed credo ergo ero." ===========================================