Tenser, said the Tensor ("now with a new twitchy logo"), points to a puzzle: how to put an extra "a" in "Michelangelo"? The problem starts with an AP wire story about how a new mural outside the Livermore CA library misspelled the names of 11 historical figures. According to a more extensive treatment by Lisa White in the Contra Costa Times, the artist misspelled 9 names, but rather than just give a list of the names and their renditions in the mural, the article gives some clues in the style of a puzzle page: "'Shakespeare' is missing the second 'a,' 'Michelangelo' includes an extra 'a' and 'Einstein' has one 'n' too few", adding later that "Alquilar also misspelled van Gogh, adding a rogue 'u'" to the Dutch painter's name".
As TstT explains
So, that's "Shakespere" for sure, either "Einstei" or more likely "Eistein", and probably "van Gough", but where did she squeeze in an extra "a" in "Michelangelo"? I suppose "Michaelangelo" is the best bet.
I agree. In fact, I calculate that the probability of this being the correct misspelling is approximately .97, based on the following Google counts:
| Spelling | WhG |
| Maichelangelo | 1 |
| Miachelangelo | 4 |
| Micahelangelo | 65 |
| Michaelangelo | 144,000 |
| Michealangelo | 4,200 |
| Michelaangelo | 125 |
| Michelanagelo | 36 |
| Michelangaelo | 1 |
| Michelangealo | 0 |
| Michelangelao | 3 |
| Michelangeloa | 42 |
| Michelangelo | 1,360,000 |
Mesdames et messieurs, les jeux sont faits.
Can someone in the Livermore area tell us how the game comes out? (A digital photo would be nice, taken before the mural gets fixed...)
And does anyone have a model of serial order errors in spelling (or more likely, typing) that explains the apparent pattern of "leakage" from the focus of error in the table above?
[Update: here is the artist's web page on the Livermore work, but none of the problematic names are visible. ]
[Update: Charles Belov emailed to observe that I left out "Michelangelo". Oops. Fixed now. As always, in case of less than full satisfaction, the Language Log marketing department will cheerfully refund your subscription fees in full. ]
[Update 10/8/2004: wolfangel emailed:
The list of misspellings used: http://tinyurl.com/64594.
It was Michaelangelo, which I accidentally misspell that way more often than I would like to admit (in my defense, I'm related to and friends with Michaels but no Michels).
]
[Update 10/11/2004: more on this story, in an article by Leslie Fulbright in the SF Chronicle of 10/8. It seems that the artist may not correct the misspellings after all, since the public reaction has been so "nasty".]
Posted by Mark Liberman at October 7, 2004 10:06 AM