Here's to You Mrs. Malaprop
Summary
Hosts Mike Volo and Bob Garfield discuss the linguistic phenomenon of malapropisms, distinguishing them from other speech errors like spoonerisms and blends. They analyze research by David Fay and Ann Cutler, which reveals that true malapropisms typically involve words with identical syllable counts and stress patterns, suggesting our mental lexicon is organized primarily for comprehension rather than speech production. The episode also features a 2012 segment where the hosts examine contrived examples from Garfield’s novel *Bedfellows* and the famous "inequities" slip in *Pulp Fiction*.
Topics discussed
Introduction and the physiology vs. anatomy correction
Defining malapropisms and Yogi Berra examples
Clip: Bob Garfield discusses his novel Bedfellows
Malapropisms in fiction and listener submissions
Distinguishing malapropisms from other speech errors
Sponsor: Uncommon Goods holiday gifts
Sponsor: IM8 nutritional supplements
Defining true malapropisms and the origin of the term
Linguistic characteristics of real malapropisms
Analyzing the accuracy of malapropisms in Bedfellows
Malapropisms as knowledge errors vs. speech errors
Real-life examples of perfect malapropisms
Why linguists study speech errors and the 600ms window
The mental lexicon and word retrieval mechanisms
Why mental dictionaries are optimized for listening
The 'Inequities' malapropism in Pulp Fiction
Common words in malapropisms and advice for writers
Outro and sponsor reads
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