Why do 'up of' and 'above' sound so similar?

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In summary, this conversation is about a mobile that is shaped like a grammatical structure and how it can be controlled.
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honestrosewater
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I was just thinking about how to describe two relations in syntactic trees similar to this one:

http://xs70.xs.to/pics/06090/tree1.gif [Broken]

And I noticed something funny: You have two dimensions and their corresponding pairs of directions, left/right and up/down, and you can use these to describe relations on points, or whatever, in the plane. For left/right, it's is left of and is right of, e.g., in the diagram above, the node tried is left of the node to. But for up/down, instead of is up of and is down of, we use is above and is below, e.g., tried is above to. The sharp ones among you might have noticed that up of /ʌp ʌv/ sounds extremely similar to above /əbʌv/. All you need to do to change up of to above is voice /p/ and switch the stress to of, both of which do happen naturally under some conditions, and doing one might even cause the other to happen. I seriously doubt that's what happened, but it's cool, no? :biggrin: Anyone else ever noticed similar coincidences?
 
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http://loreto.weblogs.us/wp-images/alexander_calder.jpg
 
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There are of course rules determining what 'shapes' the trees can have. You could make a mobile whose shape is 'grammatical' when viewed from only some vantage points... I bet you could at least come up with an interesting title for it. Hah, maybe even make the mobile's title the structure that the tree is representing! :biggrin:

Ooh, ooh! Or control its movements with a machine (like a clock motor thing) so that its grammaticality is periodic. Ooh, ooh! And you could put words in and make it a structurally ambiguous phrase and have its different interpretations show up at different times... they would be tied into the times at which they show up, of course. Hah. Good times.
 
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1. What is a false etymology?

A false etymology is a popular misconception about the origin of a word or phrase. It is a false or inaccurate explanation that is often created and spread for entertainment or humor.

2. Why are false etymologies considered fun?

False etymologies are considered fun because they often involve creative and humorous interpretations of words or phrases. They can also be a way to poke fun at language and its complexities.

3. How do false etymologies originate?

False etymologies can originate from various sources such as folk etymology, which is the process of changing the spelling or meaning of a word to fit a popular belief. They can also be created for entertainment purposes or as a joke.

4. Are false etymologies harmful?

In most cases, false etymologies are harmless as they are not meant to be taken seriously. However, they can sometimes perpetuate incorrect information about language and its history, so it is important to fact-check before sharing them.

5. Can false etymologies be used in academic research?

No, false etymologies are not considered valid in academic research as they are not based on factual evidence or historical linguistics. They are primarily used for entertainment and should not be used as a reliable source of information.

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