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Talk:Mock Turtle

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I have started this page with an explanation of the characters name, dont be so quick to remove it!—Preceding unsigned comment added by AmyNelson (talkcontribs) 12 September 2004

I have added and cleaned it up, please do not delete it.—Preceding unsigned comment added by AmyNelson (talkcontribs) 20:58, 12 September 2004

Under cultural references, I have found two seperate books that use the mock turtle's quote "once,sighed the mock turtle, I was a real turtle" to describe the Canadian monarchy. anyone find it notable? --Wilson (talk) 22:43, 28 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Pun or merely fun?

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"To say that the Mock Turtle's name is a pun on the name of the soup is incomplete." It is also inaccurate. A pun can be a either a double entendre or word play that combines two or more words into a third distinct word with humorous effect. It is not any or all humorous language. Thus the two other examples singled out, namely the “school" of fish and “school” of students, and the quote about “he’s a “tortoise” because he “taught us,” are true puns. But while “Mock Turtle” may be a playful allusion and a droll personification it is not in any way a play on words. Had Carrol called his character the “mocking turtle” and endowed it with derisive attitude, perhaps then we might agree that it constituted a real pun. Orthotox (talk) 21:09, 3 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think you know what a pun is, Orthotox. The meaning is "a play on words". The specific nature of that play depends on the pun. The adjective mock, meaning false, is originally intended to apply to the soup, which is not authentic turtle soup. Thus we have (mock) + (turtle soup). Whereas, the character of the Mock Turtle is a play on the linguistic function of mock, as if it referred to an actual animal, out of which mock turtle soup might be made. Thus we have instead (mock turtle) + (soup).
Nuttyskin (talk) 23:10, 20 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]