Discussions about eggcorns and related topics
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Chris -- 2018-04-11
I was looking over the picture of Kerouac’s On the Road scroll that has been circulating on the web (http://www.news-releases.uiowa.edu/2005 … -hirez.jpg) and it reminded me of the occasional confusion between “stream of consciousness” and “steam of consciousness.” Apparently no one has posted this eggcorn yet.
“Steam” for “stream” is a mistake that people do sometimes make, though many of the ghits for it for are clearly puns. It’s an old joke, by the way—I think the first time I heard the pun was in one of C. S. Lewis’s books. Lewis employed the pun to ridicule Ulysses and other modernist writings. But here are some apparently serious uses of the phrase:
A comment on the Barnes and Noble site about an autobiography of Gandhi: “This is the closest anyone can get to glimpsing Gandhi’s steam of consciousness and the ramblings of his mind.” (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookse … 245935&z=y)
A review of a book: “Beijing: Flesh and Passion，the major literary piece in the book, contains twenty-three separate essays, all authored by Yan Jun, some of which were incisive analyses, while some were steam-of-consciousness narration….” (http://www.alternativearchive.com/en/ar … jing02.htm)
A DVD review: “If Henry Rollins is one thing it’s opinionated. This concert presents the ‘post-punk renaissance man’ talking consistently for some 90 odd minutes and over various topics that seem like a steam of consciousness from this intelligent, hyperactive performer.” (http://dvd.monstersandcritics.com/revie … t_from_NYC)
By the way, the indefinite article in front of the phrase, as in the last example, is a pretty good marker that the instance is a true eggcorn, and not a pun. “Steam,” like “water” and unlike “stream,” is a mass noun, and does not normally accept an indefinite article. “A steam of consciousness” produces about fifty unique ghits, and almost all of them look like the authors are confusing “steam” and “stream.”
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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Ken Lakritz posted this one a couple of years ago; I’ve included his post below. I think it may be an eggcorn for some writers, but I’m always a bit worried about “one-letter-omission” eggcorns. People drop a single letter all the time in words in Internet posts. You can also find dozens of hits for “strem of consciousness” even though no spellchecker would allow that one by. “Pubic administration” is also very common, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a typo. (One of my favorite Lakritz posts goes the opposite direction—“public hair.”) Ken does provide a remarkable (and remarkably concise) argument on behalf of “steam of consciousness,” however.
#511Commentary by Ken Lakritz , 2005/07/26 at 3:35 am
’steam of consciousness’ for ’stream of consciousness.’ About 2,000 ghits and a nice complement to ’self of steam,’ already in the database. Both eggcorns are perhaps obscurely inspired by the classical identification of soul with breath or ‘pneuma.’ Examples:
Frida’s words transcend the physical realm to disclose a steam-of-consciousness
style flavored with colorful words and verbless sentences.
www.valdosta.edu/women/co…
I referenced Kerouac because he is one of the great steam of consciousness writers…
www.eastoftheweb.com/uncu…
But when Manson is rejected by the music industry, his anti-establishment,
steam-of-consciousness philosophizing becomes increasingly apocalyptic.
www.dvdverdict.com/review…
What begins as a shapeless acoustic drone with the usual steam-of-consciousness
lyrics morphs into a hypnotic, flute-driven pop tune.
www.popmatters.com/music/… s/skygreenleopards-lifeandlove.shtml
But Shepherd’s main weapon against the “day people†was a wacky, steam-of-consciousness monologue, eg, discussing the vital role of the “Flexible Flyer sled…
www.flicklives.com/Articl…
I see intention, then, as a reponse to the given-ness of a possibility that turns our ongoing steam of consciousness toward that possibility in a way …
lists.village.virginia.ed…
The track is in fact classic Eminem: there’s a simple keyboard snyth running
through it; heavy beats and rapid-fire steam of consciousness rapping.
shisa.ukzn.ac.za/index.ph…
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Question for you, patschwieterman: How do I check for these old posts? The search engine for the forum, primed with the word “steam,” didn’t find this one. In fact, a search for “klakritz” under author turns up no post earlier than October of 2005. Is there some database of older posts?
Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.
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Hi Kem. The answer’s admittedly non-obvious. The forum as such dates to Oct, 2005, but the Database—which had a comments section at one time—went public in early 2005. The search button at the top of this (forum) page only searches forum posts, as you noticed. If you go to the Database homepage (leftmost button above) and then click on “Google Search” in the right column, you’ll get the most inclusive search engine on the site. “Consciousness” submitted there will bring up Ken’s post in the old Database comments section. (“Steam” will too but it brings up 100 other hits as well.)
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