There's a Name for It (Part Three)
Friday June 26, 2009
In our Glossary of Grammatical & Rhetorical Terms, you'll find a name for . . .
- a word or a sequence of words (for example, "Toyota") that sounds the same as a different sequence of words ("toy Yoda"): oronym
- the late-medieval mark of punctuation (؟) used to signal the close of a rhetorical question: percontation mark
- the principle that any criticism of the speech or writing of others will itself contain at least one error of usage or spelling: Muphry's Law
- the pathological inability to use words in grammatical sequence: agrammatism
- the observation that, when trying to remember a word or name, people find it easier to recall the beginning and end of a lost item than the middle: bathtub effect
- a single word (such as "Thanks") that's used to express a complete, meaningful thought: holophrase
- free, frank, and fearless speech: parrhesia
- a word or expression that's generally perceived as harsh or offensive: cacophemism
More Words About Words:
Image: a toy Yoda (see oronym)
Comments
I vote we revive the percontation mark and press it into use in sentences such as:
I wonder what time she’s arrivingż
One questions if there is any use in votingż
They’re declarative, but beg an answer.
Maybe we’ll just repurpose the Spanish introductory question mark instead.
It’s less tricky “typesetting” for Microsoft to revamp in Word. It’s already there. And you can do it with an ALT 168 sequence.