More specifically, it falls under:
* Verbal humor: Malapropisms are often used for comedic effect, creating a humorous situation due to the unintentional mispronunciation or misuse of words.
* Wordplay: Malapropisms rely on the playful manipulation of language, using similar-sounding words to create a humorous misunderstanding.
* Speech errors: While not always humorous, malapropisms are ultimately mistakes in speech, stemming from a misunderstanding of word meanings or pronunciations.
You could also categorize it as:
* Folklore: Malapropisms are often associated with specific individuals or characters (like Mrs. Malaprop) and can become part of cultural folklore.
* Linguistics: Linguists study the structure and use of language, including its errors, making malapropisms a subject of interest for linguistic analysis.