According to Wikipedia, Anguish Languish is "an ersatz language constructed from English language words, created by Howard L. Chace, who collected his stories and poems in the book Anguish Languish (Prentice-Hall, 1956)." It is not really a language at all, but rather "a homophonic transformation created as a work of humor."
For example, this sentence:
Moral: Under no circumstances should little girls stop to talk with strangers.
might be written in Anguish Languish as:
Mural: Yonder nor sorghum stenches shut ladle gulls stopper torque wet strainers.
In fact, the aforementioned Mr. Chace did that very thing at the end of his story "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" (a rewrite of "Little Red Riding Hood" in Anguish Languish).
Chace once said that "the chief raison d'ĂȘtre [of Anguish Languish] is to demonstrate the marvelous versatility of a language in which almost anything can, if necessary, be made to mean something else."
Lest you think it's a piece of cake, I assure you it isn't. It's harder than you think to write stuff in Anguish Languish. For example, when I was creating "Blew Chrimma" a few posts back I had much difficulty deciding between several possibilities to represent the line "decorations of red on a green Christmas tree":
Which one of the following do you prefer?
1. Dick orations a bread tonne agreed Chrimma stray
2. Gecko ration sub bred done aggrieved Chrimma's three
3. Darker Russians sub bread dawn egg grain Chrimma's tray
4. Dicker ashen shove rid honor grebe chemistry
5. Some mixture of the above (show example).
6. Some invention of your own (show example)
Vote in the comments for the one you like best.
Hello, world! This blog began on September 28, 2007, and so far nobody has come looking for me
with tar and feathers.
On my honor, I will do my best not to bore you. All comments are welcome
as long as your discourse is civil and your language is not blue.
Happy reading, and come back often!
And whether my cup is half full or half empty, fill my cup, Lord.
Copyright 2007 - 2024 by Robert H.Brague
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<b>Post-election thoughts</b>
Here are some mangled aphorisms I have stumbled upon over the years: 1. If you can keep your head when all anout you are losing thei...
I prefer number 2. Gecko rations struck my funny bone.
ReplyDeleteHow could I possibly compete with your offerings Bob? Clearly, you are an advanced practitioner and scholar in the lofty hills of Anguish Languish. In fact, I am surprised that one of the Ivy League universities have not snapped you up as a visiting professor.
ReplyDeleteEmma, glad to be of assistance.
ReplyDeleteYorkshire Pudding, I'm sure you are an advanced practitioner too. You're just being modest. Ivy League universities usually do not come looking in North Georgia for professors, visiting or otherwise.