Palindromes and Semordnilaps

         
          Palindrome is a word or number that can be read the same way in either direction. On the other hand, semordnilap is a name coined for a word or phrase that spells a different word or phrase backwards. Moreover, "semordnilap" is itself "palindromes" spelled backwards. The most obvious example of a semordinalp is the word “saw”.

I have a special attention and interest to palindromes, because palindromic words play a big role in my life. As an obvious example, my name “Efe” is a palindromic word. One of interesting details about the story in Holes is the palindromic relation between Stanley’s name and surname.

Stanley's father was also named Stanley Yelnats. Stanley's father's full name was Stanley Yelnats III. Our Stanley is Stanley Yelnats IV. Everyone in his family had always liked the fact that "Stanley Yelnats" was spelled the same frontward and backward. So they kept naming their sons Stanley. Stanley was an only child, as was every other Stanley Yelnats before him. (3rd chapter)
            A year later their child was born. Sarah(Elya’s wife) named him Stanley because she noticed that "Stanley" was “Yelnats" spelled backward. (7th chapter)

            After I read this chapters, I made a research in internet about palindromes and I have found out some interesting words:

            The longest palindromic word in the Oxford English Dictionary is the tattarrattat, coined by James Joyce for a knock on the door. The Guinness Book of Records gives the title to detartrated, the preterit and past participle of detartrate, a chemical term meaning to remove tartrates. According to Guinness World Records the Finnish word saippuakivikauppias (soapstone vendor), a 19 letter word, is claimed to be the world's longest palindromic word in everyday use.

            There are also some funny palindromic words:

·                                  Anahanahana is a place in Madagascar.

      Ekala Lake is a lake in Montana, United States.

      Malayalam is an Indian language.

 In English, two palindromic novels have been published: Satire: Veritas by David Stephens, and Dr Awkward & Olson in Oslo by Lawrence Levine. (340 words)

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palindrome,                               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_palindromic_places