Palindromes and onomatopoeia

A palindrome, as you no doubt know, is a linguistic artifact that reads the same backwards and forwards. Dad is a palindrome, as are sis, mom, and poop, although palindromes are usually names. The neat thing is that even sentences can be palindromes, such as "Madam, I'm Adam," and "Able was I ere I saw Elba," presumably referring to Napoleon.
What bothers me about palindromes is that the name itself, isn't palindromic. We should have a name such as likeekil, or sameemas, or worddrow (I like that one best).
The same goes for onomatopoeia, or words that sound like the thing they name. Words like buzz, bang, pop, and scrunch are all onomatopoetic. Problem is, how do we get a name that sounds like what it names? The closest we could get, I think, would be to use an onomatopoetic word as a terms for the category in general. In the 19th century, linguists supposed that language began as people imitating sounds. It's known as the Yo ho (heave ho) theory. So, I propose that from now on, onomatopoeia be called "Yo ho." For one thing, it carries the spirit of naming things. For another, it's much easier to spell.

Canine Capers in the Press

My local paper is always a source of delight to me, and today's blog is courtesy of them, or of the caption writer who comments on the photos.
Most "grammatical" errors don't actually confuse people. They may distract for a moment, but generally the meaning of "he done it" is as clear as "he did it."
What leads us into sin is punctuation. And one of the ripest fields for error is the additional information we put into sentences as phrases or clauses. The misplaced modifier or dangling participle. And if you don't like sentence fragments, tough. My favorite dangling modifier is (and I got this on an essay), "Having rotted in the cellar, my brother and I were unable to sell the potatoes." After a little bit, we can figure out that it was the potatoes that rotted, but the concept of the two brothers quietly moldering in the cellar is hilarious.
So look at the caption on the photo I've posted. In case you can't read it, it says, "This Jan. 29, 2009, photo shows the scarred face of Lucas, a pit bull used in Michael Vick's dogfighting operation at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, north of Kanab, Utah." The locative phrase, "at Best Friends Animal Hospital" is in the wrong place, so it sounds like that's where the dogfighting operation was.
I can see it now, a dogfighting operation at an animal sanctuary. The dogs have to wear gloves and can't hit below the belt. The referee stops the fight if one fighter looks dog-tired (sorry, couldn't resist).
The cure is really simple: cut the sentence in two. There's really no reason to try and get it all in one sentence.