Palindromes – Irrelevant to Learning English, But Mildly Interesting

Palindromes are generally words, phrases, or sentences that read the same front to back as they do back to front. They can also be a series of numbers or symbols.

“So what?” you say, and I agree. What does this have to do with learning English? Absolutely nothing. The only purpose is to take your mind off your serious studies. And if you understand what palindromes are, you won’t feel embarrassed the next time someone wants to discuss them at a cocktail party.

Palindromes in a Nutshell

There are some obvious and common single-word examples in English, such as civic, kayak, level, madam, dad, mom, and noon. There are even a few names for girls, such as Ana, Ava, Eve, Hannah, Lil, and Nan. Boys’ names are a little more obscure, but there are Otto and Bob. We will discuss Bob specifically later on in this essay.

Palindromes can be words or phrases, but the phrases don’t necessarily have to have a meaning; they can be just nonsense phrases. In fact, most of them don’t make any sense. Please note that spaces, punctuation, and capitalization are ignored.

“Do geese see God?” Okay, that one kind of makes sense. So does “Madam, I’m Adam.” And then there’s my favourite, “Yo, Banana Boy!” However, most palindromes are just contrived nonsense. For example, try to make sense out of “May a moody baby doom a yam?”

Palindromes in Other Languages

Palindromes exist in languages other than English. Spanish examples: ojo (eye), oro (gold), oso (bear), rever (to see again), and rapar (to shave). Since English and Spanish both use the Latin alphabet, English speakers can easily recognize Spanish palindromes.

However, Japanese pronunciation and writing are more similar to English syllables rather than individual letters. Japanese examples: 父 (ちち- chichi – father); 母 (はは- haha – mother); and 桃 (もも- momo – peach).

I’m not going to get into phrases or sentences in other languages here, as they would be too difficult to understand.

For Those Interested in Phobias

Although palindromes are useless tidbits of a language, they are nothing to be afraid of. However, I have an interest in phobias. So, you may or may not be interested to know that the unofficial term for the fear of palindromes is “aibohphobia”. I say unofficial because anyone can create a phobia by just adding the word “phobia” to anything. Anyway, notice that “aibohphobia” is itself a palindrome. Scary, eh?!

The above essay is for entertainment and English language study only. For suggestions on how to use this post to improve your English reading and listening comprehension, click here.

Vocabulary

• nonsense – noun; spoken or written words that have no meaning, or make no sense; make no sense
• contrived – adjective; so obviously planned as to seem unnatural, artificial, or forced; made up or unnatural
• tidbits – pl. noun; an interesting or piquant item of news or information; small pieces (in this context)
• phobia – noun; an abnormal or morbid fear or aversion; an unrealistic fear of something
• parody – noun; a humorous exaggerated imitation of an author, literary work, style, etc., esp. for purposes of ridicule; a humorous cover of a famous song (in this context)

Resources

• Wikipedia

And Now For Your Listening and Viewing Enjoyment

“Weird Al” Yankovic became famous for his parodies of famous songs, such as “Like a Surgeon” (“Like a Virgin” by Madonna); “Eat It” (Beat It by Michael Jackson); and “I Want a New Duck” (“I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News). However, he also has many original songs, and they are all for fun. “Bob” is one of his originals. Each line in the song is a palindrome, so don’t expect much of it to make any sense. Even the title is a palindrome. It is performed in the style of Bob Dylan, complete with harmonica. So, without further ado, here is “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Bob”.

Lyrics

"Bob"
Performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic (2002)
Written by "Weird Al" Yankovic

I, man, am Regal, a German am I
Never odd or even
If I had a Hi-Fi
Madam, I'm Adam
Too hot to hoot
No lemons, no melon
Too bad I hid a boot
Lisa Bonet ate no basil
Warsaw was raw
Was it a car or a cat I saw?

Rise to vote, sir
Do geese see God?
Do nine men interpret? Nine men I nod
Rats live on no evil star
Won't lovers revolt now?
Race fast safe car
Pa's a sap
Ma is as selfless as I am
May a moody baby doom a yam

Ah Satan sees Natasha
No devil lived on
Lonely Tylenol
Not a banana baton
No X in Nixon
O stone, be not so
O Geronimo, no minor ego
"Naomi" I moan
A Toyota's a Toyota
A dog, a panic, in a pagoda

Oh no, Don Ho
Nurse, I spy gypsies, run!
Senile felines
Now I see bees, I won
UFO tofu
We panic in a pew
Oozy rat in a sanitary zoo
God, a red nugget, a fat egg under a dog
Go hang a salami, I'm a lasagna hog