Unintentional Language Funnies: Mondegreens Explained

1. MONDEGREENS Parodies are intentional, but Mondegreens are unintentional. When children are learning adult language, when adults are learning a new academic disciplilne, or when anyone is learning a foreign language, we are often unsure how to analyze or break up the new words and phrases. Reanalysis is when we break up the words in ways that make a new meaning that was not intended in the original. These are called “mondegreens” because they are based on the following Scottish ballad:

2. The Bonny Earl of Murray Ye Highlands and ye Lawlands, Oh! Where ha’e ye been: They ha’e slain the Early of Murray, And they laid him on the Green. But the last two lines are reanalyzed as follows: They ha’e slain the Earl of Murray, And the Lady Mondegreen.

3. Mondegreens are especially prevalent during the Christmas season. In “The twelve days of Christmas” “Ten lords a-leaping”  “Ten lawyers leaving” “Nine ladies dancing  “Nine lazy Hansons” “Six geese a-laying”  “Six geezers laying” “And a partridge in a pear tree”  “And a paltry tin-affair tree.” In “Silent Night,” “Sleep in heavenly peace”  “Sleep in heavenly peas” In “Santa Claus is comin’ to Town,” “making a list and checkin’ it twice”  “making a list and chicken and rice.” In “Winter Wonderland,” “Later on, we’ll conspire”  “Later on, milk and spiders,” and “Parson Brown”  “sparse and brown” or “parched and brown.”

4. Christmas Mondegreens on Channel 15’s The List: http://www.thelistshow.tv/the-list/whats-trending-misfit-holiday-lyrics