Thank you for the book suggestions, I shall hunt them
out, but
cant is all bunk isn't it?
its just set up by dictionary makers as the container
for words spoken by tramps, theives, prostitutes and
literary types. Into the cant tank all sorts of stuff
gets put, for example the OED is as likely to say that
a word is 'cant' as its origin is obscure. My reason
for choosing the OED was that it it not necessarily an
honest representation, also the words were just so
toothsome they sort of wrote themselves, probably
evident from my poetiking.
I liked P.Howard's cant poem very much it had penny
dreadful quality about it, the smut content
practically drowned the ship by the end.
I have a number of questions:
Do any of you out there use computers in the process
of literary creation? I don't mean necessarily word
processors, but what about tools like GREP or PERL, I
have had various levels of success with same I
wondered what anyone elses luck was?
Also in talking about the OED have you used in on CD,
is it just me that finds it incredibly annoying to
use? does anyone know how to do clever reverse
engineering type things on it? I know this is faintly
illegal but the interface is so provoking it can't be
borne.
Lastly have any of you used Wordnet with the tree walk
software? If you haven't I suggest a visit to
www.wordnet.com it is free!
where you will find the most wonderful tool for
composition. Give it a word and it will provide
hypernyms holonyms Meronyms, coordinates and so forth.
To give an example from the word 'clipper ship'
hypernyms: conveyance, vehicle, craft etc
hyponyms: cutty sark, mary rose etc
meronyms: helm,mast,hull etc
holonyms: fleet etc
coordinates: bark,brig,cutter,galleon.
A wonderful thing put together at Princeton.
This time in keeping with my belief that the following
of tricky rules brings out something not gettable at
any other way another poem. I have found pairs of
words such that by removing the letter 'a' at the
beginning creates a new word: so averse is good
because it gives two not necessarily related words
'verse' and 'averse' but 'amoral' is less good because
'amoral' and 'moral' are rather boringly related. Well
anyway here it is:
One A1 big girl Abigail
A capital city, a Georgian terrace,
And Acid Sid’s abyss
biz assets’ set up
basement abasements, mounts for amounts
with atom tom ‘Abby’,leggy
allegory, with vice advisors
Abbot B-b-b-b-bots
and abacus Bacchus as a-a-a-a-countants .
for Amen Bra man Abraham
Abby was Abigail or ‘Big Gail’
for big Arab Rabi,
acerbic whore abhorring Serbians
queued butts abutting
for at cost accosting,
got to grow on cue
from cussing in agro argot
like Chillian Che the SS ass men,
genital agents the flayed
affraid affluent and fluent
all had for this miss amiss an Achilles ache.
But though adept with debt, maxing
on the Amex, and attack tax
Abby got her costly rear
accosted in arrears with Mitty amities
The trophy of the atrophy was podgy
apology Lisa alias Alibi Libby
with tricks attic the lass alas tole
stole Abby’s accustomed custom
When auntie ‘Untie’ Abe’s aid and maid
alighted on the lights,
And Abe’s Doberman,
Over the abdomen (able peers
appeared, to arrange peals of bells
to appeal the amassed masses
to mass.) Auntie untie
called the adjusted justice
who called for a bag for the bag.
Abby from topsy
to autopsy had been a tom
now she’s ashes atoms.
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