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