The Theatre Classroom — Anguish Languish

February 7th, 2011

Helping students understand interpretation

So what the heck is "anguish languish"?  It is a form of malaprop — a mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one. An unbelievable number of English words, regardless of their usual meanings, can be substituted quite satisfactorily for others. When all the words in a given passage have been so replaced, the passage keeps its original meaning. For example, a word that has received a new meaning has become a wart, and when all the words in the passage have become warts, the passage is no longer English; it’s Anguish!

When I was working with a short interpretation unit, I often used the following piece, first read by Arthur Godfrey in the 1950s. My students loved it.  It has also been used as a humorous solo on speech contests. After the first few lines I provided a “translation” to help you get used to the style. It does take lots of practice! Enjoy.

Ladle Rat Rotten Hut by Howard L. Chace

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Wants pawn term dare worsted ladle gull hoe lift wetter 

[Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived with her]

murder inner ladle cordage honor itch offer lodge, dock, florist.

[mother in a little cottage on the edge of a dark forest.]

Disk ladle gull orphan worry Putty ladle rat cluck wetter ladle rat hut, an fur disk

[This little girl often wore a little red cloak with a pretty little red hat and for this]

raisin pimple colder Ladle Rat Rotten Hut.

[reason people called her Little Red Riding hood]

Wan moaning Ladle Rat Rotten Hut's murder colder inset.

"Ladle Rat Rotten Hut, heresy ladle basking winsome burden barter an shirker cockles. Tick disk ladle basking tutor cordage offer groin-murder hoe lifts honor udder site offer florist. Shaker lake! Dun stopper laundry wrote! Dun stopper peck floors! Dun daily-doily inner florist, an yonder nor sorghum-stenches, dun stopper torque wet strainersi"

"Hoe-cake, murder," resplendent Ladle Rat Rotten Hut, an tickle ladle basking an stuttered oft.

Honor wrote tutor cordage offer groin-murder, Ladle Rat Rotten Hut mitten anomalous woof.

"Wail, wail, wail!" set disk wicket woof, "Evanescent Ladle Rat Rotten Hutf Wares are putty ladle gull goring wizard ladle basking?"

"Armor goring tumor groin-murder's," reprisal ladle gull. "Grammar's seeking bet. Armor ticking arson burden barter an shirker cockles."

"0 hoe! Heifer gnats woke," setter wicket woof, butter taught tomb shelf, "Oil tickle shirt court tutor cordage offer groin-murder. Oil ketchup wetter letter, an den-- O bore!"

Soda wicket woof tucker shirt court, an whinny retched a cordage offer groin-murder, picked inner windrow, an sore debtor pore oil worming worse lion inner bet. Inner flesh, disk abdominal woof lipped honor bet, paunched honor pore oil worming, an garbled erupt. Den disk ratchet ammonol pot honor groin-murder's nut cup an gnat-gun, any curdled ope inner bet.

Inner ladle wile, Ladle Rat Rotten Hut a raft attar cordage, an ranker dough ball. "Comb ink, sweat hard," setter wicket woof, disgracing is verse.

Ladle Rat Rotten Hut entity bet rum, an stud buyer groin-murder's bet.

"O Grammarl" crater ladle gull historically, "Water bag icer gut! A nervous sausage bag icel"

"Battered lucky chew whiff, sweat hard," setter bloat-Thursday woof, wetter wicket small honors phase.

O, Grammar, water bag noisel A nervous sore suture anomalous prognosis!"

"Battered small your whiff, doling," whiskered dole woof, ants mouse worse waddling.

"O Grammar, water bag mouser gutY A nervous sore suture bag mouse!"

Daze worry on-forger-nut ladle gull's lest warts. Oil offer sodden, caking offer carvers an sprinkling otter bet, disk hoard-hoarded woof lipped own pore Ladle Rat Rotten Hut an garbled erupt.

MURAL: Yonder nor sorghum stenches shut ladle gulls stopper torque wet strainers.