Language error

An overwhelming majority comprises the most part of any part of modern humour, and wit in particular as it exploits a rather wide range of the most effective literary devices, including irony, surprise, parody, riddle, word play, oxymoron and so forth. Language itself is an expression of thoughts through symbolic manipulation, and it is omission between the expectations and the real things a listener hears that creates an ironical or witty effect. It is of course irony that makes the most part of witticisms being the most widely-used literary device in sphere of humour.

Some of the brightest language error based witticisms are:

"It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser", "If all is not lost, where is it?", "Jury: Twelve people who determine which client has the better attorney", "Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip round the sun".

As we see, some of them are based on well-known proverbs like "It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser", while the rest demonstrate unexpected phrases (expressions) in completely conventional situations. Under the law, for example, the jury is supposed to take a justified decision towards an accused person, but it happens so very often that it is money but not them seal fate of that person. In fact, the witticism tells the thuth, the truth that everybody knows but nobody dares to speak aloud.

The witty effect may be achieved through usage of the habitual object in non-habitual context. In the last example, living on Earth is opposed to the trip around it. It is clear that an author understands "death" under "a free trip around the sun". In this context, the death is viewed in terms of the absolutely unusual aspect.