18 JANUARY 1992, Page 24

Forms of address

Sir: Deborah Boehm's article (`The garbled phrase as frozen music', 4 January) made me reach for my address book, bought in Suzuka several years ago. On the cover, a cat is depicted, in tears, surrounded by what may be mice or rats. The caption is as follows:

MANY THING UNUNDERSTANDABLE A CHICKEN-HEARTED SEEMS SLIM USUALLY

Perhaps the Japanese believe that `expressing yourself is more important than correct grammar, syntax, spelling, or even signification. Where could they have picked up such strange ideas?

Peter Dron

Hurst-An-Clays-North, Ship Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex