Lipogram

A Leipogramm (also: Lipogramm, omit from Greek λείπειν ( leipein ) for and γράμμα ( gramma ) for letter ) is a text in which - consciously ( literary language game ) or unconsciously ( onomatopoeia ) - the use of one or more letters of the alphabet is omitted. The difficulty again is the length of the leipogrammatischen text, on the other hand, the frequency of the corresponding letter in that language. Leipogrammatik therefore is the art to write Leipogramme. In a sense, the opposite of Leipogramm is the pangram.

History of Leipogramms

Antiquity

The first testified Leipogramm is the fragment of a Greek Hymn to Demeter Hermionische without the letter Sigma, written in the 6th century BC by the Greek choral lyric poet Lasos from Hermione in the Peloponnese. In addition, he wrote a dithyramb entitled Kentauroi without Sigma. The Greek poet Pindar wrote in 6 / 5 Century supposedly an ode without Sigma. In these first experiments leipogrammatischen probably sounded aesthetic aspects have been in the forefront. So was the Sigma as ugly sound.

Then it takes up to 2 / 3 or fifth century AD until Nestor of Laranda and after whose native of Egypt epic poet and grammarian Triphiodoros her - Write leipogrammatischen edits the Iliad and the Odyssey, was where the respective vocal characteristic letter omitted - not preserved. The two Homeric epics, each with its 24 songs were edited progressive leipogrammatisch; each of the 24 letters of the Greek alphabet in turn comes not appear in the numbered with the respective letter vocals.

The next, which likewise progressively leipogrammatische work dates from the 5th century AD. Fulgentius, a Christian writer and not to be confused with the Bishop of Ruspe, wrote a work De mundi et hominis aetatibus, a disguised Christian history from the beginning of the world, where in each chapter progressively missing a different letter of the alphabet.

It is likely that some leipogrammatische works from the long period between Lasos and Nestor of Laranda are lost.

Middle Ages

It was only back in the 12th century appeared another leipogrammatisches work on Petrus Riga, canon of St. Denis, near Paris, writes a versificata Biblia ( Bible verse ) containing leipogrammatische parts.

Modern Times

Baroque

Again, there is a larger gap between Riga and Baroque periods in which the Leipogramm reached its zenith. In the Spanish Baroque Leipogramm is widespread, as in the German Baroque. It is customary to use at the appropriate place a poem or other text passage without R. Examples include Lope de Vega, Estebanillo Gonzalez, Francisco Navarrete y Ribera for the Spanish, Barthold Heinrich Brockes, Georg Philipp Harsdörffer, Christian manner and pastor Bonorand for the German Baroque.

The Spaniard Alonso de Alcalá y Herrera wrote five novels in which he waived in order on the five vowels.

The Baroque author Barthold Heinrich Brockes avoids in his poem The storm was on a Starcke silence over longer passages the R to symbolize the silence; he used it but the R -sound also becomes stronger as the storm descends. The Leipogramm is used here as a conscious stylistic device for sound design of the poem. The Baroque poet Georg Philipp Harsdörffer presented in his eight -part Frauenzimmer Gesprechspiele, a collection of board games for the baroque salon society, including two conversational tasks ( The conditional letters and the book mallet ) without using the letters M and L as a socio playful pastime and wrote in the poem Sweet Punishment without L. Christian Weise wrote in his text the three worst Erznarren the world an R- free speech for an amorous man who could not pronounce the R. Reports a similar Casanova in his autobiography, Histoire de ma vie ( Story of My Life ), in which he tells of the celebration of an illustrious company in Ludwigsburg, where also a beautiful actress was present with a small speech impediment. To her he wrote overnight to a role, so that they no longer contained R. Even at the end of the 18th century Gottlob Wilhelm Burmann wrote poems without R.

19th century

The Leipogramm has long since passed its peak. Now there are more literary nerds and outsiders, write the Leipogramme.

Franz Rittler and Leopold Kolbe, the two combatants leipogrammatischen an actual contest, as the most prolific authors are mentioned. In 1813 Franz ride coupler novel was published in The Twins. An attempt of sixty discontinued words to write a novel without R as evidence of the richness and flexibility of the German language. In three years later published novel No Love without pain. A little story, simple yet artificially responded Leopold Kolbe to ride coupler twins and used in this book also no Rittler R., Kolbe's model in terms of Leipogramm, the third edition of his novel in 1820 added a second part, Emma and Gustav of Sokolov. A continuation of the experiment, from sixty discontinued words to write a short novel without R. Second Part of the twins. In it, he announces a further Leipogramm novel set on the A, B and C that wants to do without -. However, it is never completed Also in 1813 wrote Rittler another small R- lipogrammatischen novel Lisette and Wilhelm. In addition, he still published in 1826 in the book edited by Franz Gräffer Paperback Aurora the letter without e

With two R- loose stories of Paul Schönthan is represented, on the one hand with a peculiar history published within its between the years 1877 and 1882 Small Humoresken, on the other hand how the goldfish have emerged. A story with a hook, published in the German Children's Calendar for the year 1883. Called should further FAC Keyser 1866 published (presumably single ) working Amusing patient samples in small novels, novellas and short stories, in which each time a particular letter is omitted, according to the order the whole alphabet. However, from the comprehensive three books project exists only the first book.

In French the 1881 novel published Curieux voyage autour du monde ( Strange World Travel ) by Jacques Arago is to say, which - apart from the title - to dispense with the letter A.

20th century

The Leipogramm is as well-known, popular game died out long ago, and yet it is the 20th century, in which the best and baddest leipogrammatischen works are written. The E, the most common letter in German, French and English, is used in the works of Ernest Vincent Wright and Georges Perec even once. Appeared in 1939 Wright's novel Gadsby, which was written entirely without the letter e. The French writer Georges Perec and Oulipist published in 1969 a 300-page, e -less novel under the title La Disparition. This was progress congenial leipogrammatisch translated into German in 1986 by Eugen Helmle entitled Anton Voyls.

" Voyl dwells ( but that was for ) almost lightless as opal glass keeps strong in the room the light. Furniture and luxury tells him nothing about Anton's apartment is plain and unadorned. Limestone wall, table, chair and sofa, and this stinks terribly of garlic. This has sichs. For the bathroom and so what Anton Voyl has nothing left hälts for useless thing for him fuss and bother and hocus-pocus. "

Eugen Helmle wrote in 1993 and 1995 also leipogrammatische two novels. In late night train to Lyon he renounced E and R, in pop and fall in Lyon initially on E, then R. In the epilogue to the latter Helmle addresses the language under leipogrammatischer constraint, and on the translation of such a text, including on changes that go with the language during these tasks before him, such as " when the rasping R " disappears. On the R, the German poet Friederike Kempner had already renounced in their poems without r in 1903.

A progressive Leipogramm in the form of an epistolary novel, in which in the course of the novel more and more letters disappear, written by the American author Mark Dunn Ella Minnow Pea with the title - a Novel in Letters ( German Nollops legacy ).

However, the famous poem by Ernst Jandl ottos mops is not Leipogramm, but one of the Univokalismen. Contemporary leipogrammatische prose seals exist, inter alia, by Brigitta Falkner and Ilse Kilic. Kilic published the books Oscar morality and Monika chaos protocol: In the pressure cooker of Oskar's morality, in which they used in numerous individual texts various types of Leipogrammen. Also in the song The Stranger from India the band Sharam found no E ( if you ignore the Heading times).

21st Century

At the court processes, with which Telekom defended a letter as a trademark, published " Ulrich S ( t) ock " his commentary " 60 seconds without T". The Icelandic author Sindri Freysson reaches into his story E -mail (2011) on Perec 's novel La Disparition back, in which the most common in many languages, letter, e, is avoided, as a parable for the possibility to reduce the world's population.

Leipogramme in the various cultures and folklore

Leipogramme there are not only at European Baroque poets spoke or mathematical Oulipisten. Leipogramme are a stylistic device that - was spawned by numerous cultures - very likely independently. The classical Persian literature knows the Leipogramm, as the Kavya style of Sanskrit literature. Sensational is the Leipogrammatik in Anatolia: The Asiks, poet of the Turkish highlands, the Leipogrammatik ( lips about not touching ) will know the Dudak degmez. This refers Leipogramme, where it is not allowed to use labials. At the annual contest in Konya Dudak degmez is regarded as the toughest of twelve disciplines. The participants place a needle between his lips so as not to be tempted labials, in which the lips are touched to use. At the highest developed the art of Leipogramme have the Asiks of Erzurum.

Classification of different types of Leipogrammen

The following diagram is intended to represent an attempt to provide a simple classification of different types of Leipogrammen:

Philosophical background of Leipogramme

The Leipogramm can be seen in the context of both language-game as well as methodological limitation, in the sense of Oulipo (L' Ouvroir de Littérature Potential, Workshop for Potential Literature ).

The novel has a Leipogramm to ancient tradition going back and arrived in the German Baroque to new heights:

The difficulty of Leipogramms results from the frequency with which a letter, will be omitted in the, present in the language used. Leipogramme usually want to not be perceived as mere curiosities, but claim to a very specific view of language, and thus to throw on reality.