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#1 2022-04-05 08:15:50

Peter Forster
Eggcornista
From: UK
Registered: 2006-09-06
Posts: 1224

'villagant' for 'vigilant'

I’m not whether it is the eye or the ear, or both, that imports a village while stumbling over vigilant and vigilance. Certainly the welfare of a small community being protected by ‘village aunties’ seems more appealing than the comparatively severe ‘vigilantes’, but the latter may also have some connection to villages in the public imagination thanks to ‘The Magnificent Seven’ for example.

Perhaps the eye and ear, unfamiliar with the word vigil create something they are more familiar with, in the same way that Tommy Hillfinger gained that mighty digit?

Road users should be villagant for people walking on the roads around knocknagoshel village.

Also, also, as I alluded to in my previous post, you need to be villagant ANYTIME you ride your bike on Chicago streets

For example, he’s ever villigant that David’s putting on a front, and it’s this villagance that in the end lets us see that David really isn’t putting one …

In the Bavarian Illuminati, owls represented wisdom and villagance.

Tommy Hillfinger is a clothing store in Metropolitan Venice. Tommy Hillfinger is situated nearby to Liu Jo, and close to Gas.

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#2 2022-04-05 14:05:04

DavidTuggy
Eggcornista
From: Mexico
Registered: 2007-10-11
Posts: 2715
Website

Re: 'villagant' for 'vigilant'

I have this one spelled villageant, villagent and viligent as well. The last I think may share some family resemblances with diligent. Indiligent viligence would not be of much use, I suppose.

Lol and raise (or give) a finger to the mighty digit.


*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .

(Possible Corollary: it is, and we are .)

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#3 2022-04-08 07:59:37

DavidTuggy
Eggcornista
From: Mexico
Registered: 2007-10-11
Posts: 2715
Website

Re: 'villagant' for 'vigilant'

I’m not whether it is the eye or the ear, or both, that imports a village while stumbling over vigilant and vigilance.

I suspect the tongue is involved as well, though I can’t quite explain how. Viligent just rolls trippingly off it a little easier, it feels like to me. Maybe it’s just that English has fewer VjVl sequences ( agile, fragile, vigil ) and more VlVj ones ( village, pillage, knowledge ) and X-age generally, so we get used to pronouncing it that way. In other words, the mouth, as well as the eye and ear, may “create something [it is] more familiar with”. I suspect if there was a word magilent I would want to pronounce it maligent no matter what it meant.
.
Nevertheless I can’t easily imagine saying fraulugent instead of fraudulent . Is the [I] vs. [(y)u] part of the picture? (Phonology is more complicated than people sometimes think!) If it were spelt madulent would I be as likely to pronounce it maligent ?

Last edited by DavidTuggy (2022-04-08 08:17:26)


*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .

(Possible Corollary: it is, and we are .)

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#4 2022-04-08 11:29:26

DavidTuggy
Eggcornista
From: Mexico
Registered: 2007-10-11
Posts: 2715
Website

Re: 'villagant' for 'vigilant'

For the n in Tommy H’s last name, the case of stinkler (also caught by Peter) is relevant. In either case the pronunciation may be motivated by mouth as well as by eye or ear.

Last edited by DavidTuggy (2022-04-08 11:57:04)


*If the human mind were simple enough for us to understand,
we would be too simple-minded to understand it* .

(Possible Corollary: it is, and we are .)

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#5 2022-04-08 13:47:38

Peter Forster
Eggcornista
From: UK
Registered: 2006-09-06
Posts: 1224

Re: 'villagant' for 'vigilant'

I suspect the tongue is involved as well, though I can’t quite explain how. Viligent just rolls trippingly off it a little easier, it feels like to me.

I recall as a child being inveigled into joining some older boys who enjoyed train-spotting. I could appreciate the interest in the few steam trains that remained. They usually had names and made chuffing noises, smelled of burning coal and sometimes accidentally set the bank sides alight with stray sparks, but I struggled to simulate any of the glee and excitement my companions seemed to feel in carefully noting the number of a diesel train, or lecka.

Part of the interest seemed to be in signal boxes, and my (correct) pronunciation of signal caused much merriment. To a man they insisted on referring to single boxes. I assumed that the biggest and most truculent lad had some sort of speech impediment and the others had, probably wisely, decided to humour him. But later I discovered a number of adults in the locality had the same problem too.

Not long after, a toothpaste called Shield changed its name because apparently it was too difficult to pronounce. The new name was Single. No! Signal!

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