A short-Zighted PiZeon, of course,
Was a Zkeet-shooting superstar.
It laid its eggZ on a golf course
Though it alwayZ played under par.
Are we the human ra
e so sure
That we're a really
ane creature?
The Ztupid Zable paid dearly
To have a Zip on
its belly.
And the Zluggish Zippos dream
Of taking a Zwim in the cream.
Are we the human ra
e so sure
That we're a really
ound creature?
Some Zilly Znakes want to shake hands
And Zlow-witted Zows want to fly.
All Zany Zebras make amends
For not having Ztripes blue as sky.
Are we the human ra
e so sure
We're not ca
t in the wrong picture?
Note: the nursery rhyme is a modernised version of the "Znakes",a classic in catholic schools in the 30s. Biblical references have been replaced by up-to-date, politically correct, ecological ones, but one may notice the persistence of
as a semasiological engine, and the low-quality rhymes.
Frédéric Nicoulaut, "Onomasiology and semasiology in contemporay nursery rhymes. Results of a three-year collecting period in suburban schools. Ph.D. thesis, Université de Paris IX. 1995. 340 pp + annexes.
Gilles Tran © 2001 www.oyonale.com