Apun, also known as aparonomasia in the context oflinguistics, is a form ofword play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intendedhumorous orrhetorical effect.[3] These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use ofhomophonic,homographic,metonymic, orfigurative language. A pun differs from amalapropism in that a malapropism is an incorrect variation on a correct expression, while a pun involves expressions with multiple (correct or fairly reasonable) interpretations. Puns may be regarded asin-jokes oridiomatic constructions, especially as their usage and meaning are usually specific to a particular language or itsculture.
Puns have a long history in writing. For example, the Roman playwrightPlautus was famous for his puns and word games.[4][5]
A homophonic pun is one that uses word pairs which sound alike (homophones) but are not synonymous.[6] Walter Redfern summarized this type with his statement, "To pun is to treat homonyms assynonyms."[7] For example, inGeorge Carlin's phrase "atheism is a non-prophet institution", the wordprophet is put in place of its homophoneprofit, altering the common phrase "non-profit institution". Similarly, the joke "Question: Why do we stillhave troops in Germany? Answer: To keep theRussians inCzech" relies on the aural ambiguity of the homophonescheck andCzech. Often, puns are not strictly homophonic, but play on words of similar, not identical, sound as in the example from thePinky and the Brain cartoon film series: "I think so, Brain, but if we give peas a chance, won't the lima beans feel left out?" which plays with the similar—but not identical—sound ofpeas andpeace in the anti-war slogan "Give Peace a Chance".[8]
Ahomographic pun exploits words that are spelled the same (homographs) but possess different meanings and sounds. Because of their origin, they rely on sight more than hearing, contrary to homophonic puns. They are also known asheteronymic puns. Examples in which the punned words typically exist in two differentparts of speech often rely on unusual sentence construction, as in the anecdote: "When asked to explain his large number of children, the pig answered simply: 'The wild oats of my sow gave us many piglets.'" An example that combines homophonic and homographic punning isDouglas Adams's line "You can tune a guitar, but you can'ttuna fish. Unless of course, you playbass." The phrase uses the homophonic qualities oftune a andtuna, as well as the homographic pun onbass, in which ambiguity is reached through the identical spellings of/beɪs/ (astring instrument), and/bæs/ (akind of fish). Homographic puns do not necessarily need to follow grammatical rules and often do not make sense when interpreted outside the context of the pun.
Homonymic puns, another common type, arise from the exploitation of words that are both homographs and homophones. The statement "Being inpolitics is just like playinggolf: you are trapped in one bad lie after another" puns on the two meanings of the wordlie as "a deliberate untruth" and as "the position in which something rests". An adaptation of a joke repeated byIsaac Asimov gives us "Did you hear about the little moron who strained himself while running into the screen door?" playing onstrained as "to give much effort" and "to filter".[9] A homonymic pun may also bepolysemic, in which the words must be homonymic and also possess related meanings, a condition that is often subjective. However, lexicographers definepolysemes as listed under a single dictionarylemma (a unique numbered meaning) while homonyms are treated in separate lemmata.
A compound pun is a statement that contains two or more puns. In this case, the wordplay cannot go into effect by utilizing the separate words or phrases of the puns that make up the entire statement. For example, a complex statement byRichard Whately includes four puns: "Why can a man never starve in theGreat Desert? Because he can eat the sand which is there. But what brought the sandwiches there? Why,Noah sent Ham, and his descendants mustered and bred."[10] This pun usessand which is there/sandwiches there,Ham/ham,mustered/mustard, andbred/bread. Similarly, the phrase "piano is not my forte" links two meanings of the wordsforte andpiano, one for the dynamic markings in music[11] and the second for the literal meaning of the sentence, as well as alluding to "pianoforte", the older name of the instrument. Compound puns may also combine two phrases that share a word. For example, "Where domathematicians go on weekends? To a Möbius strip club!" puns on the termsMöbius strip andstrip club.
A recursive pun is one in which the second aspect of a pun relies on the understanding of an element in the first. For example, the statement "π is only half a pie"[12] (πradians is 180degrees, or half a circle, and apie is a complete circle). Another example is "Infinity is not in finity", which means infinity is not infinite range. Another example is "aFreudian slip is when you say one thing but meanyour mother".[13] The recursive pun "Immanuel doesn't pun, heKant" is attributed toOscar Wilde.[4]
Visual puns are sometimes used in logos, emblems, insignia, and other graphic symbols, in which one or more of the pun aspects is replaced by a picture. In Europeanheraldry, this technique is calledcanting arms. Visual and other puns and word games are also common in Dutchgable stones as well as in somecartoons, such asLost Consonants andThe Far Side. Another type of visual pun exists in languages that use non-phonetic writing. For example, in Chinese, a pun may be based on a similarity in shape of the written character, despite a complete lack of phonetic similarity in the words punned upon.[14]Mark Elvin describes how this "peculiarly Chinese form of visual punning involved comparing written characters to objects."[15]
Visual puns on the bearer's name are used extensively as forms of heraldic expression, they are calledcanting arms. They have been used for centuries across Europe and have even been used recently by members of theBritish royal family, such as on the arms ofQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and ofPrincess Beatrice of York. The arms of U.S. PresidentsTheodore Roosevelt andDwight D. Eisenhower are alsocanting.[citation needed] In the context of non-phonetic texts,4 Pics 1 Word, is an example of visual paronomasia where the players are supposed to identify the word in common from the set of four images.[16]
Paronomasia is the formal term forpunning, playing with words to create humorous or rhetorical effect. Paronomastic puns often manipulate well-knownidioms,proverbs, or phrases to deliver a punned twist. The classic structure of a joke, with a setup leading to a punchline, is a common format for paronomastic puns, where the punchline alters the expected phrase in a way that plays on multiple meanings of a word. For instance, in the sentence, "I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough,"[17] the word "dough" is used paronomastically to refer both to the substance used to make bread and to slang for money.
This type of pun is frequently used inadvertisements,comedy, andliterature to provide a clever and memorable message. One notable example comes from an advertising slogan for a moving company: "We don't charge an arm and a leg. We want your tows." Here, the familiar phrase "an arm and a leg" is paronomastically punned upon with "tows," playing on the phonetic similarity to "toes" while referring to the company's service of towing belongings.
Metonymic puns exploit themetonymic relationship between words – where a word or phrase is used to represent something it's closely associated with. In such puns, one term is substituted for another term with which it's closely linked by a concept or idea. The humor or wit of the pun often comes from the unexpected yet apt connection made between the two concepts.
For instance, consider a hypothetical news headline: "The White House loses its balance." In this case, "The White House" is used metonymically to represent theU.S. government, and "balance" could be interpreted both as physical stability (as if the building itself is tipping over) or fiscal balance (as in the budget), thereby creating a pun.
While metonymic puns may not be as widely recognized as a specific category of pun, they represent a sophisticated linguistic tool that can bring an additional layer of nuance to wordplay.
Syllepsis, or heteronymy, is a form of punning where a single word simultaneously affects the rest of the sentence, while it changes the meaning of the idiom it is used in. This form of punning uses the word in its literal and metaphorical senses at once, creating a surprising and often humorous effect.
An example of a sylleptic pun is in the sentence, "She lowered her standards by raising her glass, her courage, her eyes and his hopes." In this case, "raising" applies in different ways to each of the items listed, creating a series of linked puns. This type of punning can often be seen in literature, particularly in works that play extensively with language. (She razed his self-esteem in how she raised the children.)
Notable practitioners of the sylleptic pun include authors such asP. G. Wodehouse, who once wrote, "If not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled," playing on thedichotomy of "disgruntled" and "gruntled," where the latter is not typically used.
Antanaclasis is a type of pun where a single word or phrase is repeated, but the meaning changes each time. The humor or wit derives from the surprising shift in meaning of a familiar word or phrase. This form of punning often relies on homophones, homonyms, or simply the contextual flexibility of a word or phrase.
A classic example isBenjamin Franklin's statement, "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."[18] In this quote, the word "hang" is first used to mean "stay" or "work together," but then, it is repeated with the meaning "be executed."
This punning style is prevalent in both humorous and serious contexts, adding layers of complexity to the language by highlighting the multifaceted nature of words. Such puns are frequently used in literature, speeches, and advertising to deliver memorable and impactful lines.
Richard J. Alexander notes two additional forms that puns may take: graphological (sometimes called visual) puns, such asconcrete poetry; andmorphological puns, such asportmanteaux.[19] Morphological puns may make use ofrebracketing, where for instancedistressed is parsed asdis-tressed (having hair cut off),[19] or in theself-referential pun "I entered ten puns in a pun competition hoping one would win, but no pun in ten did" (parsed as "no pun intended").
Puns are a common source of humour in jokes andcomedy shows.[20] They are often used in thepunch line of a joke, where they typically give a humorous meaning to a rather perplexing story. These are also known asfeghoots. The following example comes from the movieMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the World, though the punchline stems from far olderVaudeville roots.[21] The final line puns on the stock phrase "the lesser of two evils". After Aubrey offers his pun (to the enjoyment of many), Dr. Maturin shows a disdain for the craft with his reply, "One who would pun would pick-a-pocket."
Captain Aubrey: "Do you see those twoweevils, Doctor?...Which would you choose?"Dr. Maturin: "Neither. There's not a scrap of difference between them. They're the same species ofCurculio."Captain Aubrey: "If you had to choose. If you were forced to make a choice. If there were no other option."Dr. Maturin: "Well, then, if you're going to push me. I would choose the right-hand weevil. It has significant advantage in both length and breadth."Captain Aubrey: "There, I have you!...Do you not know that inthe Service, one must always choosethe lesser of the two weevils."
Not infrequently, puns are used in the titles of comedicparodies[citation needed]. A parody of a popular song, movie, etc., may be given a title that hints at the title of the work being parodied, replacing some of the words with ones that sound or look similar. For example,collegiate a cappella groups are often named after musical puns to attract fans through attempts at humor.[22] Such a title can immediately communicate both that what follows is a parody and also that work is about to be parodied, making any further "setup" (introductory explanation) unnecessary.
Sometimes called "books never written" or "world's greatest books", these are jokes that consist of fictitious book titles with authors' names that contain a pun relating to the title.[23] Perhaps the best-known example is: "Tragedy on the Cliff by Eileen Dover", which according to one source was devised by humouristPeter De Vries.[24] It is common for these puns to refer to taboo subject matter, such as "What Boys Love by E. Norma Stitts".[23]
Pun competitions
2014 saw the inauguralUK Pun Championships, at theLeicester Comedy Festival, hosted byLee Nelson.[25] The winner was Darren Walsh. Walsh went on to take part in theO. Henry Pun-Off World Championships inAustin, Texas.[26] In 2015 the UK Pun Champion was Leo Kearse.[27] Other pun competitions include Minnesota’s Pundamonium, Orlando Punslingers, the Almost Annual Pun-Off in Eureka, and Brooklyn’s Punderdome,[28][29][30] led byJo Firestone and her father, Fred Firestone.[31][32] InAway with Words: An Irreverent Tour Through the World of Pun Competitions,[31] Joe Berkowitz deems Austin'sO. Henry Pun-Off the "Olympics" of pun competitions, and Brooklyn's Punderdome the "X Games".[32]GQ described the crowd at Brooklyn's Punderdome as "passionate, to a level that feels dangerous".[33]
Non-humorous puns were and are a standard poetic device inEnglish literature. Puns and other forms of wordplay have been used by many famous writers, such asAlexander Pope,[34]James Joyce,[35]Vladimir Nabokov,[36]Robert Bloch,[37]Lewis Carroll,[38]John Donne,[39] andWilliam Shakespeare.
In the poemA Hymn to God the Father,John Donne, whose wife's name was Anne More, puns repeatedly: "Son/sun" in the second quoted line, and two compound puns on "Done/done" and "More/more". All three are homophonic, with the puns on "more" being both homographic andcapitonymic. The ambiguities introduce several possible meanings into the verses.
"When Thou hastdone, Thou hast notdone / For I havemore.
that at my death ThySon / Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore
And havingdone that, Thou hastdone; / I fear nomore."
Alfred Hitchcock stated, "Puns are the highest form of literature."[40]
Shakespeare is estimated to have used over 3,000 puns inhis plays.[41] Even though many of the puns were bawdy,Elizabethan literature considered puns and wordplay to be a "sign of literary refinement" more so than humor. This is evidenced by the deployment of puns in serious or "seemingly inappropriate" scenes, like when a dyingMercutio quips "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man" inRomeo and Juliet.[42]
Shakespeare was also noted for his frequent play with less serious puns, the "quibbles" of the sort that madeSamuel Johnson complain, "A quibble is to Shakespeare what luminous vapours are to the traveller! He follows it to all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of his way, sure to engulf him in the mire. It has some malignant power over his mind, and its fascinations are irresistible."[43] Elsewhere, Johnson disparagingly referred to punning as the lowest form of humour.[44]
Puns can function as arhetorical device, where the pun serves as a persuasive instrument for an author or speaker. Although puns are sometimes perceived as trite or silly, if used responsibly a pun "can be an effective communication tool in a variety of situations and forms".[45] A major difficulty in using puns in this manner is that the meaning of a pun can be interpreted very differently according to the audience's background with the possibility of detracting from the intended message.[46]
Like other forms of wordplay, paronomasia is occasionally used for its attention-getting ormnemonic qualities, making it common in titles and the names of places, characters, and organizations, and in advertising and slogans.[47][48]
Many restaurant and shop names use puns:Cane & Able mobility healthcare,Sam & Ella's Chicken Palace,Tiecoon tie shop,Planet of the Grapes wine and spirits,[49] Curl Up and Dye hair salon, as do books such asPies and Prejudice,webcomics like (YU+ME: dream) and feature films such as (Good Will Hunting). The JapaneseanimeSpeed Racer's original Japanese title,Mach GoGoGo! refers to the English word itself, the Japanese word for five (theMach Five's car number), and the name of the show's main character, Go Mifune. This is also an example of a multilingual pun, full understanding of which requires knowledge of more than one language on the part of the listener.
Names of fictional characters also often carry puns, such asAsh Ketchum, the protagonist of the anime seriesPokémon, andGoku ("Kakarrot"), the protagonist of themanga seriesDragon Ball. Both franchises are known for including second meanings in the names of characters. A recurring motif in theAustin Powers films repeatedly puns on names that suggest male genitalia. In thescience fictiontelevision seriesStar Trek, "B-4" is used as the name of one of fourandroids models constructed "before" the androidData, a main character. A librarian in anotherStar Trek episode was named "Mr. Atoz" (A to Z).
Theparallel sequelThe Lion King 1½ advertised with the phrase "You haven't seen the 1/2 of it!".Wyborowa Vodka employed the slogan "Enjoyed for centuries straight", whileNorthern Telecom used "Technology the world calls on."[47]
On 1 June 2015 theBBC Radio 4You and Yours included a feature on "Puntastic Shop Titles". Entries included a Chinese Takeaway inAyr town centre called "Ayr's Wok", a kebab shop in Ireland called "Abra Kebabra" and a tree-surgeon in Dudley called "Special Branch". The winning entry, selected byLee Nelson, was a dry cleaner's in Fulham and Chelsea called "Starchy and Starchy", a pun onSaatchi & Saatchi.[50]
Paronomasia has found a strong foothold in the media.William Safire ofThe New York Times suggests that "the root of this pace-growing [use of paronomasia] is often a headline-writer's need for quick catchiness, and has resulted in a new tolerance for a long-despised form of humor."[51] It can be argued that paronomasia is common in media headlines, to draw the reader's interest. The rhetoric is important because it connects people with the topic. A notable example is theNew York Post headline "Headless Body in Topless Bar".[52]New York Post headlines for sex scandal articles have included "Cloak and Shag Her" (General Petraeus), "Obama Beats Weiner" (Congressman Weiner),[31] and "Bezos ExposesPecker".[53]
Paronomasia is prevalent orally as well.Salvatore Attardo believes that puns are verbal humor. He talks about Pepicello and Weisberg's linguistic theory of humor and believes the only form of linguistic humor is limited to puns.[54] This is because a pun is a play on the word itself. Attardo believes that only puns are able to maintain humor and this humor has significance. It is able to help soften a situation and make it less serious, it can help make something more memorable, and using a pun can make the speaker seem witty.
Paronomasia is strong in print media and oral conversation so it can be assumed that paronomasia is strong in broadcast media as well. Examples of paronomasia in media are sound bites. They could be memorable because of the humor and rhetoric associated with paronomasia, thus making the significance of thesoundbite stronger.
There exist subtle differences between paronomasia and other literary techniques, such as thedouble entendre. While puns are often simple wordplay for comedic or rhetorical effect, a double entendre alludes to a second meaning that is not contained within the statement or phrase itself, often one that purposefully disguises the second meaning. As both exploit the use of intentional double meanings, puns can sometimes be double entendres, and vice versa. Puns also bear similarities withparaprosdokian,syllepsis, andeggcorns. In addition, homographic puns are sometimes compared to thestylistic deviceantanaclasis, and homophonic puns topolyptoton. Puns can be used as a type ofmnemonic device to enhance comprehension in an educational setting. Used discreetly, puns can effectively reinforce content and aid in the retention of material. Some linguists have encouraged the creation ofneologisms to decrease the instances of confusion caused by puns.[55]
Puns were found inancient Egypt, where they were heavily used in the development of myths and interpretation of dreams.[56]
InChina,Shen Dao (ca. 300 BC) used "shi", meaning "power", and "shi", meaning "position" to say that a king has power because of his position as king.[57]
In ancientMesopotamia around 2500 BC, punning was used by scribes to represent words incuneiform.[58]
TheMaya are known for having used puns in theirhieroglyphic writing, and for using them in their modern languages.[60]
In Japan, "graphomania" was one type of pun.[61] More commonly, wordplay in modern Japan is known asdajare.[62]
InTamil, "Sledai" is the word used to mean pun in which a word with two different meanings. This is also classified as a poetry style in ancientTamil literature. Similarly, inTelugu, "Slesha" is the equivalent word and is one of several poetry styles inTelugu literature.
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