A
malapropism (also called a
malaprop or
Dogberryism) is the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound (which is often a paronym), resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous
utterance. An example is this statement by baseball player
Yogi Berra: "
Texas has a lot of
electrical votes," rather than "
electoral votes." Malapropisms also occur as
errors in natural speech and are often the subject of media attention, especially when made by politicians or other prominent individuals. The philosopher
Donald Davidson has noted that malapropisms show the complex process through which the brain translates thoughts into language.