Malapropism (Figurative Language)

Malapropism

Of all the figurative terms that have been introduced in this series, malapropism is arguably the most amusing, but unfortunately also one of the most infrequently used in everyday life. Unlike most of the terms we have seen so far, this word has distinct French origins, coming from the French term mal - propos, meaning "bad (or incorrect) to propose," leading to the English term "malapropos" meaning "inappropriately." The figurative device as we know it today comes most directly from a character in Richard Sheridan's play The Rivals, where the character Mrs. Malaprop (named for the already existing English term "malapropos") unwittingly uses the device throughout the story.

Malapropism is intentionally deployed primarily in comedy, where it acts like a kind of pun, relying on the similar sounds but different meanings of words. When we hear it in real life, and as far as the characters in literature who use it are concerned, it is always unintentional, which is part of what makes it such an effective comic device. A malapropism is the accidental use of a word or phrase in place of another word or phrase that sounds very similar to it, but which is completely inappropriate to the situation, sometimes completely confusing any meaning, but more often generating a new meaning which is comically far from the original intended one.

Some of the clearest examples of this device occur when people attempt to decode difficult song lyrics, and one classic case of this occurs with a very well known (but frequently misquoted and mis-sung) verse from the legendary Jimi Hendrix: "Excuse me, while I kiss the sky." The meaning of this line is somewhat vague to begin with, but it obviously has something to do with an altered state of being, a sense of expanded consciousness and connection with the infinite through music, drugs, or probably both. However, note how the meaning of the line changes dramatically through an unfortunate but highly comical malapropism attributed to many who attempt to sing along: "Excuse me, while I kiss this guy." The sounds of the lines are almost identical, and the way Hendrix sings them, the words "the sky" are sung so quickly compared to the earlier words in the line that they seem to merge, leading to a sound which, if one didn't know better, could very well be "this guy." Say it to yourself several times quickly, and you will see how easy the mistake is to make. Here, the comedy arises from the almost identical sounding phrases creating totally different meanings, taking the verse from one about a wonderful, liberated experience with the infinite to one which is far more earthly and human.

For a more subtle literary example, consider the following exchange, and pay special attention to the italicized word: "'The vast majority of your tenants are clearly flawed,' commented Robert forcefully. 'Perhaps,' replied George, 'But then I never claimed to be a discriminating landlord.' The malapropism here rests on the word "tenant," and in order to understand the joke you need to know that Robert really means to use the word "tenet," a very common mistake. "Tenet," the word he means to use, means a principle, premise, or point in an argument, and he wants to say that George's argument is not a good one. Instead, by using the word "tenant" which means someone who lives in your building and pays you rent (making you the landlord), he is really saying that George's renters are flawed in some way. Picking up on this, George replies to the literal meaning of Robert's words, rather than the meaning he intends, exposing the error and making the situation more amusing. The best literary malapropism has this character, and though it is not very common in popular culture today, some sitcoms (like Friends re-runs) employ it, as do some comedic feature films.