Charles Dickens and the Linguistic Art of the Minor Character

Choti 

I am sure you will love these names :) and specially since you are called as Miss Posh because you have such an extensive vocabulary, you will love how wonderfully this article has been drafted and the words she uses. Amazing, eh? I loved the names.

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Charles Dickens and the Linguistic Art of the Minor Character  May 4th 2016, 15:46, by Chi Luu Allow me to introduce Mr Plornishmaroontigoonter. Lord Podnsap, Count Smorltork, and Sir Clupkins Clogwog. Not to mention the dowager Lady Snuphanuph. As for Serjeant Buzfuz, Miss Snevellicci, Mrs. Wrymug, and the Porkenhams… who the dickens are all these people? Why do they have such weird names? Chi Luu is a peripatetic linguist who speaks Australian English and studies dead languages. Every two weeks, she’ll uncover curious stories about language from around the globe for Lingua Obscura. They are the best of names, they are the worst of names, from an age of onomastic wisdom and hypocoristic foolishness, an epoch of… well you get the picture. You may recognize this raggle-taggle cast of minor characters, in all their rich variety, as stemming from the fevered imaginings of one Charles Dickens. Yes, Charles Dickens: the former child factory worker, law clerk, social justice activist, wannabe actor and famed (though not always appreciated) author of some very long novels from a more verbose Victorian age. Also, Charles Dickens: linguistic innovator. Even the lowliest, most fleeting minor character in a Dickens novel, regardless of wealth or education, can have an individual personality and humanity.