Often I am asked where I got the idea for the writing exercises I use in the beginning class. I was a always a maniac for humor origins. I ran across the concept of paraprosdokians back when I was first learning to do stand up. Here is a good definition of what it is. There is still some debate as to whether the concept was codified in ancient Greek times or the 19th Century! Either way it has been used since the beginning of the written word all the way up to now and is an excellent way to create jokes, inspire humor, and just plain practice writing. Paraprosdokian From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A paraprosdokian /pærəprɒsˈdoʊkiən/ is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists.[1] Some paraprosdokians not only change the meaning of an early phrase, but they also play on the double meaning of a particular word, creating a form of syllepsis. Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 Examples 3 See also 4 References Etymology[edit] Paraprosdokian comes from Greek παρά, meaning against and προσδοκία, meaning expectation. Canadian linguist and etymology author William Gordon Casselman argues that, while the word is now in wide circulation, paraprosdokian (or paraprosdokia) is not a term of classical (or medieval) Greek or Latin rhetoric, but a late 20th-century neologism.[2][3] The fact that the word does not yet appear in the Oxford English Dictionary is evidence of its late coinage. The term prosdokia (expectation) occurs with the preposition para in Greek rhetorical writers of the 1st century BCE and the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, with the meaning contrary to expectation or unexpectedly.[4][5][6][7] These four sources are cited under prosdokia in Liddell-Scott-Jones, Greek Lexicon. [8] Examples[edit] He was at his best when the going was good. —Alistair Cooke on the Duke of Windsor[1] There but for the grace of God—goes God. —Winston Churchill[1] If I am reading this graph correctly—Id be very surprised. —Stephen Colbert[9] You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing—after they have tried everything else. —Winston Churchill[9] On his feet he wore…blisters. —Aristotle[10] Ive had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasnt it. —Groucho Marx[11] A modest man, who has much to be modest about. —supposedly Winston Churchill, about Clement Attlee[11] I dont want to step on anybodys beliefs but . . . Well, here we go . . . —Brian Regan Theres nothing like a good steak—unfortunately this isnt a good steak. —Finn Bernard[11] I like going to the park and watching the children run around because they dont know Im using blanks. —Emo Philips[11] If I could just say a few words…Id be a better public speaker. —Homer Simpson[12] I havent slept for ten days, because that would be too long. —Mitch Hedberg[3] She was good as cooks go, and as cooks go she went. —Saki[13] I sleep eight hours a day and at least ten at night. —Bill Hicks[3] I dont belong to an organized political party. Im a Democrat. —Will Rogers[14] He Aint Heavy, Hes My Brother; variations on the phrase are attested as early as 1884.[15] Thats no lady, thats my wife! —Rodney Dangerfield[16]
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 23:20:43 +0000
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