Eggcorn Forum

Discussions about eggcorns and related topics

You are not logged in.

Announcement

Registrations are currently closed because of a technical problem. Please send email to if you wish to register.

The forum administrator reserves the right to request users to plausibly demonstrate that they are real people with an interest in the topic of eggcorns. Otherwise they may be removed with no further justification. Likewise, accounts that have not been used for posting may be removed.

Thanks for your understanding.

Chris -- 2018-04-11

#1 2017-11-21 06:05:53

Dixon Wragg
Eggcornista
From: Cotati, California
Registered: 2008-07-04
Posts: 1375

"Sumerian" for "Samaritan"

if it was cash left there you know i would’ve pocketed it. since it was their card i figured i’d be a good sumerian.
ethics discussion

She gets to be a good Sumerian to Yuichi friend Shingo.
story synopsis

If I was feeling like a good Sumerian I would obviously go to Scripting Helpers; a separate subforum for good reason.
Nerdese

What a friendly good sumerian hacker he was.
sarcasm

Kuso Steak Vloz’Ress Jr. has prospered well in Kuso’s care his young fertile mind being filled with knowledge, classical works, and how to be a good sumerian to his fellow humes
story discussion

Not much needs to be said about this one, except that it’s a wonder it hasn’t been seen here yet. I suppose the fact that it involves proper names makes it a Lehmann, right?

Offline

 

#2 2017-11-21 09:06:03

kem
Eggcornista
From: Victoria, BC
Registered: 2007-08-28
Posts: 2872

Re: "Sumerian" for "Samaritan"

Technically, a Lehman is a common noun that has become a proper noun (“layman’s terms” >> “Lehman’s terms”) and an Aunty Lehman is a proper noun that has become a common noun (“Ferris wheel” >> “fair’s wheel”). I don’t think we have a term for a proper to proper switch.

Arguably, though, this is an ordinary eggcorn. We could think of “samaritan” and “sumerian” as representing things/ideas—i.e., as once-proper nouns that have already been commonized.

“Sumerian” is, by the way, a DNA eggcorns. There is no shared meaning between “sumerian” and “samaritan.” They both relate to a third concept (the set “words relating to old Near Eastern cultures,” or something like that).

Several round-tripper examples also occur on the web. Here’s “Samaritan civilization” on a flash card: https://quizlet.com/51208199/history-101-flash-cards/


Hatching new language, one eggcorn at a time.

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB
PunBB is © 2002–2005 Rickard Andersson
Individual posters retain the copyright to their posts.

RSS feeds: active topicsall new posts