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 rae 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 rae 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 rae so sure
We're not cat 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 Biblical references have been replaced by up-to-date, politically correct, ecological ones, but one may notice the persistence of as a semasiological engine, and the low-quality rhymes.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