Types of Chiasmus: Phonetic Chiasmus

All examples of chiasmus share the same distinctive structure-a reversal in word order that can be "marked with an X" (as described in Welcome to the World of Chiasmus.) However, there are a number of interesting variations on the chiastic theme. We'll examine all of them here at "Types of Chiasmus." In this edition, we feature another fascinating type, something I call Phonetic Chiasmus.

One of the reasons chiasmus has been so popular among language-lovers is that extraordinary chiastic lines can be created by inverting the sounds of words. An example is the song title:

Written by an Atlanta physician named Dr. Randy Hanzlick—who writes songs as a hobby—notice how the familiar chiastic reversal shows up in sounds of words. This is a perfect example of what can only be called phonetic chiasmus.

By the way, Dr. Hanzlick told me the inspiration for his song was a piece of graffiti he found scrawled on a bathroom wall in a VA hospital in the early 1970's. It said, "I'd rather have a free bottle in front of me than a pre-frontal lobotomy." Hanzlick played around with the saying until he came up with his version. The saying is sometimes attributed to Tom Waits, but Hanzlick is the man who wrote the song.

During the gay 90s (that is, the 1890s), a chiastic "toast" became popular in Edwardian England, always bringing a hearty laugh after it was offered. The toast is so wonderful, I offer it whenever I can, and a century later, it's still met with roars of approval:

As is obvious from this example, phonetic chiasmus sometimes involves straight-out puns or by wordplay with a punning edge. An example from early in U. S. history comes from John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. In an unforgettable comment on Kentucky gentlemen, he wrote this little piece of chiastic verse:

Homonyms and homophones have been a godsend for wordsmiths interested in phonetic chiasmus. They allowed America's language maven, William Safire, to compose a perfect motto for his column-writing efforts:

This is not merely clever wordplay, either. It's Safire's way of saying he'd rather be seen as a dirty fighter than as a rigid ideologue who automatically takes a position because his political beliefs demand it.

Some of Richard Lederer's most fascinating questions about "Crazy English" fall into this category:

As do some very clever ones from my new friend and inveterate punster Don Hauptman, author of Cruel and Unusual Puns. My favorite is the feeling one gets when invited to an S & M party:

And, of course, there's the famous line from American humorist, John Kendrick Bangs:

A memorable example of phonetic chiasmus comes from the 1960 presidential campaign, when a group of Protestant ministers headed by Norman Vincent Peale issued a statement opposing the Catholic candidate, John F. Kennedy. The group charged that Kennedy would not be able to free himself from the Catholic Church's "determined efforts to breach the wall of separation between church and state." An immediate outcry ensued and Peale resigned from the group—but not before Adlai Stevenson was able to craft the single best "sound-bite" of the campaign, contrasting Peale with one of his favorite churchmen, St. Paul:

Some examples of phonetic chiasmus are not obvious. A few years ago, I looked up "chiasmus" in Collier's Encyclopedia. To my surprise, the famous opening line of Coleridge's poem, Xanadu, was described as chiastic:

I didn't see it at first, and wouldn't be surprised if you don't either. But as soon as I sounded it out, it became apparent. Let me lay it out schematically—and also phonetically—for you:

Voila! Another example of chiasmus by phonetic reversal.

Many examples of implied chiasmus are also examples of this kind of phonetic transposition. Two examples will suffice:

An intriguing variation of phonetic chiasmus occurs in the transposition of individual letters of words. Take a look at this line from an 1847 retirement speech by the English labor leader and government official, Sir Fred Burrows, as he stepped down from his post as the last Governor of the British colony of Bengal:

At first, I thought his remark was a Spoonerism, but it quickly dawned on me that it was a very clever phonetic inversion:

Burrows was past president of the National Union of Railwaymen, the labor union representing English railroad workers. In contrast to his predecessors—political appointees who spent more time hunting and shooting Bengal tigers than attending to the affairs of government—Burrows was pointing out that his career had focused mainly on shunting passengers and hooting at management.