Vocab Most well well-known nursery rhymes have their origin in England, with one notable exception Mary had a little lamb, written by Massachusetts-based Sarah Josapha Hale, and inspired by an actual incident. The rhyme is also famous for being the very first thing recorded by Thomas Edison on his newly invented phonograph in 1877. Several wordsmiths and logologists have had a go at writing their own version of the poem, and naturally they are Americans, presumably with much time on their hands. → But first, a quick look at the original: MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB ITS FLEECE WAS WHITE AS SNOW, AND EVERYWHERE THAT MARY WENT THE LAMB WAS SURE TO GO. HE FOLLEOWED HER TO SCHOOL ONE DAY, THAT WAS AGAINST THE RULE. IT MADE THE CHILDREN LAUGH AND PLAY, TO SEE A LAMB AT SCHOOL. by Sara Josepha Hale → Now consider this variation and try to figure out what is unusual about it: MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB A LAMB WITH FLEECE LIKE SNOW REACTING TO WHERE MARY WENT YOUNG SHEEP WAS SURE TO GO. LAMB FOLLOWED HER TO SCHOOL ONE DAY, A FLOUTING OF THE RULE, MAKING CHILDREN LAUGH AND PLAY, BEHOLDING LAMB IN SCHOOL. What you have there is a clever ACROSTIC, the first letter of each line put together readingMary and Lamb. → Then there are the LIPOGRAMMATIC versions. A LIPOGRAM is awork that deliberately excludes one letter of the language. Here is Mary WITHOUT e, the most common letter in English: MARY HAD A TINY LAMB ITS WOOL WAS PALLID AS SNOW. AND ANY SPOT THAT MARY DID WALK THIS LAMB WOULD ALWAYS GO. THIS LAMB DID FOLLOW MARY TO SCHOOL ALTHOUGH AGAINST A LAW, HOW GIRLS AND BOYS DID LAUGH AND PLAY THAT LAMB IN SCHOOL ALL SAW. From there on it only gets better or worse, depending on how groan-worthy you find these. → There is a popular (an identical but not the same in the concept) version in Malayalam, sometimes taught in schools: MARY-KKUNDU ORU KUNJAADU MENI KOZHUTHA ORU KUNJAADU PAAL NIRA POLA VELUTHA AADU PANJU KANAKKU MINUTHA AADU... → More Mary versions later.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 07:41:33 +0000
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