Word Forms and Combinations

Abstract

When we think of the invention of words, neologisms like those in Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky spring to mind. Many of his inventions are simply made up of sequences of sounds which are acceptable in English, but which apparently have no specific meaning for English speakers. Of course, if this were so, the reader would have little hope of understanding the poetry. In fact, as discussed in chapter 3, many sound-symbolic sequences which have no reference to the real world may still have meaning for English speakers. Thus the /br-/ consonant cluster at the beginning of brillig reminds us of bright and brilliant, the /sl-/ cluster in slithy recalls the unpleasant smoothness of slimy, slither and slippery and the /-mbl/ ending of gimble implies something of the relaxed nature of words like gambol, tumble and amble.

Twas brillig and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe …