Comments on: Running Amok or Running Amuck?

By: Christopher O'Brien

Christopher O'Brien — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:07:56 +0000

I forgot to check the box indicating that I want to get notified in case of further comments on this post, so I append this note now; this one need not be posted if you’d be so kind as to help me receive any replies. . . Gracias!

By: Christopher O'Brien

Christopher O'Brien — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:05:58 +0000

On the idea of capricious faux eye rhymes achieved by misspelling existing words–it’s not so odd to use these, especially on signs meant for the halfhearted amusement of the public. I ran into a section of a Kelsey Grammer related website devoted to the voice actor that was named “Kelsey’s Korner.” Doubtless other examples can be produced; for me, it must wait till after my coffee!

By: Christopher O'Brien

Christopher O'Brien — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:01:18 +0000

I have always thought that the spelling “amuck” was given mass exposure to the public in the Warner Brothers cartoon, one of my very favorites, in which Daffy Duck suffers from the whimsical changes of the malicious artist Bugs Bunny. The cartoon’s name is Duck Amuck…probably the spelling of “amuck”, I always believed, was a puckish respelling of the ‘correct’ “amok” (as in Amok Time) employed to make the eye rhyme (though in reverse, as the words can really rhyme, but don’t look the same!) work. Seems that I was wrong, at least in part, but it does seem likely that many kids had only ever seen this word spelt out in the title of the cartoon, and assumed it was right, thus propagating this odd spelling and giving it the edge in today’s baby boomer writers’ work . . . especially those who don’t read much–
I love this mailing list and am eager to read it daily! So many thanks for the stimulating discussions!

By: Tom Jacobs

Tom Jacobs — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:29:11 +0000

You may be interested to know that the Dutch, who have ruled over the present Indonesia for many centuries, also have a saying in their language: “amok maken”. In Dutch, the saying is used to describe rebellious or protesting behaviour, rather than the “noisy” action the English expression seems to convey.
You may notice that the spelling “amok” is being used; perhaps the Dutch transcription of the original malay saying.

By: Yvonne

Yvonne — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:20:07 +0000

Coming to Erik’s aid, in German, a person running amok/amock is an “Amokläufer.” However, this does not refer to somebody running around crazy in a sense to be taken lightly–it refers to someone shooting/killing lots of people such as in the school shootings of recent years, etc.