The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 12.0966  Friday, 27 April 2001

From:           Stephanie Hughes <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
Date:           Thursday, 26 Apr 2001 12:07:53 -0700
Subject: 12.0950 Re: Wedding of Sound and Image
Comment:        Re: SHK 12.0950 Re: Wedding of Sound and Image

>Writing of
>
>Leg over leg as the dog went to Dover,
>When he came to a stile, jump, he went over.
>
>Stephanie Hughes says 'Every single sound in this replicates the meaning
>. . .'
>
>No it doesn't. How can the sound of  'leg', or 'as', or 'the', or 'dog'
>or any of these words 'replicate the meaning' of anything?
>
>T. Hawkes

No doubt my description fell short. Here's another try.

The rhythm of "Leg over leg" sounds like a four-footed animal running.
The following words continue to describe the action while maintaining
the same running rhythm. With "jump" the dog leaps over the stile, then
with "he went over" he continues to run in the same rhythm. Apart from
such prosy description, is there any language for describing this kind
of rhythmically onomotopoetic writing?

My father used to make the sound of a horse running by slapping first
one hand against one thigh, then the other against the other thigh, then
the two hands together. When done rapidly, this sounds like a horse
galloping in the same rhythm as the nursery rhyme. One of the morsels
left from the "oral tradition," and probably soon to be completely gone.
(For oh, the hobby horse is forgot!)

Stephanie Hughes

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