Have you ever been singing along to your favourite song; only be told you have the lyrics wrong?
Mishearing or misunderstanding a word, whether in a song or everyday speech is a common occurrence, and usually the subject of great amusement.
The name for these misunderstandings is mondegreens.
So how long have humans been mishearing lyrics, and what are the wider implications of mondegreens for language?
Pam Peters is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Macquarie University.
Photo: 123rf
