Chrysti the Wordsmith > Radio Scripts

In his day, the Reverend William Archibald Spooner was the rock star of phonetic transposition. In fact, Spooner transposed so often, this style of verbal bungling is now called Spoonerism.

Born in England in 1844, Reverend Spooner, was most renowned during his tenure as dean of New College in Oxford, where he delivered lectures and sermons, and officiated at weddings.

But Spooner had a quirk: he habitually transposed the first letters of words in phrases. Spooner's parishoners were surprised to learn one Sunday that their Lord was not a "loving shepherd," but a "shoving leopard." The Reverend reminded a young groom during the ceremony that it was "kisstomary to cuss the bride." On spying a pair of look-alike siblings, Spooner cried, "those girls are sin twisters!"

Spooner's penchant for somersaulting letters and sounds was blamed on his nervous disposition and even his albinism. Some suspect that Spooner may have been dyslexic. But whether these types of verbal gaffes were accidental or cultivated, so many were attributed to the dear Reverend that they're now called Spoonerisms in his honor.

Humans have probably been Spoonerizing for as long as we've been speaking. Modern examples include this program summary from a CBC moderator: "You have been listening to the Honorable Minister of Wealth and Hellfare." Or this rather odd weather forecast, in which the reporter predicted "rain and slow followed by sneet."

Radio Script > Spoonerisms