English is fun

When I was a kid I once played a game called Which witch is which. Now I have no recollection of how the game worked at all. I just remember that it tickled my funny bone to be able to have a complete sentence where three of the four words sounded the same.

Since then I have become something of a wordsmith, able to use words to my advantage more than most people that I know. English is my native tongue and the more of it that I learn the more fun I have with wordplay. English is one of the largest languages there is and due to its nature of borrowing words from other tongues, it is ever increasing. It simply fascinates me all of the different ways that a thing can be said as well as how subtle shifts in spelling or choice of expression can change things up.

 My grasp and command of the English language is vast yet not perfect. And while true mastery of the language may never occur, I do not fall into most of the grammar and spelling traps that many others do. One of my best friends, who wants to be an author and for now will go nameless, because he will know exactly who he is if he ever reads this, both saddens and amuses me with his struggles with the English language. I seldom find myself without the exact wording and spelling to fit a given situation.

Changing the spelling of a word by a single letter can completely change the context of a sentence. For example, I am hungry has a slightly different meaning than I am Hungary.

Other words sound similar but do not mean the same thing. In such cases context is the only real clue what a person is talking about. When spoken out loud, they're puppies, their puppies and there puppies all sound the same.

Connotation, detonation, volume, vocal tone, inflection, pitch,dialect, accent and emphasis can all change what something means. One can infer,insinuate, and imply a whole host of different things using these tools. It is even possible to use one or more to mean two things different things at the same time with a double entendre.

Phrases like, it is my pleasure, can be said in such a way as to mean two totally different things (and imply several others) without changing the actual wording at all. Try it out for yourself. Say the following words out loud. Say each exactly the same way, except put more emphasis on the fully capitalized word in each sentence.

IT is my pleasure.
It IS my pleasure.
It is MY pleasure.
It is my PLEASURE.

See. It is the same sentence with exactly the same words, but the meaning completely changes just by using only one vocal tool. Imagine what you could do with three or four of them all used together!

I have heard that some other languages have just as  much wordplay possibility as English. In Japanese, many of the individual kanji have dozens or more meanings. This would seem to make for nearly infinite opportunities for, wordplay mischief. It is my hope to one day increase my understanding of Japanese to the point where I can do with that language what I can do with English.

Until then, I will amuse myself with all the different ways that simple English words and phrases can be torn apart and put back together in mischievous, deadly, harmless,ridiculous,flattering, insulting, frustrating or just plain funny ways.

What wordplay amuses you?