To All You Language Pedants!

Stephen Fry has some interesting words for all you language pedants :-)

Comments/DISQUS help? Click here.

Allowed HTMLDISQUS Status

Leave a Reply

29 Responses to To All You Language Pedants!

  1. Anonymous says:

    I’m not a native user of English so the first thing I have to do is to obey the rules strictly in order not to be misunderstood and to respect the native speakers.

    But in the case of native speakers it is a great asset to use the language creatively.

  2. Anonymous says:

    I’m not a native user of English so the first thing I have to do is to obey the rules strictly in order not to be misunderstood and to respect the native speakers and their linguistic heritage.

    But in the case of native speakers it is a great asset to use the language creatively.

  3. Josh_L says:

    Well, I think if more of us had the handle on Language that Mr. Fry (and Marina!) does, more of us would probably see it as a beautiful thing.

  4. theclue says:

    interesting stuff…
    I agree in some but i disagree in many other.
    The best thing is ..that i love the way fade out the sound in the video hahaha
    :cool:

  5. Imaginative animation, ans Stephen Fry is, well, Stephen Fry. Great stuff.

  6. Evan Owen says:

    A process in the weather of the heart
    Turns damp to dry; the golden shot
    Storms in the freezing tomb.
    A weather in the quarter of the veins
    Turns night to day; blood in their suns
    Lights up the living worm.

    A process in the eye forewarns
    the bones of blindness; and the womb
    Drives in a death as life leaks out.

    A darkness in the weather of the eye
    Is half its light; the fathomed sea
    Breaks on unangled land.
    The seed that makes a forest of the loin
    Forks half its fruit; and half drops down,
    Slow in a sleeping wind.

    A weather in the flesh and bone
    Is damp and dry; the quick and dead
    Move like two ghosts before the eye.

    A process in the weather of the world
    Turns ghost to ghost; each mothered child
    Sits in their double shade.
    A process blows the moon into the sun,
    Pulls down the shabby curtains of the skin;
    And the heart gives up its dead.

    – Dylan Thomas

    Picturesque English? Gibberish? What does the pedant say? And what, the poet? :razz:

  7. me says:

    Waw, that rocks!!! I’d like to think i formalise what ever he said on every post i write on your site marina, as im free in my speech, always!!
    But still, it’s a fantastic way of speaking about the anglo-saxon language in general for me, better in its artistic approch i have on it as im feeling artist myself. I think he had really translate this feelings with words and think it’s really great… ;-) I guess that when i speak in public like that i will GET some public : it’s a one-sense direction in fact so!!! And plus when u express what you deeply think in the english language, it’s for me really strong, like, like a sex feeling nearly as it fills you with joy at the top of it… So thank you marina to have share this with me though i will rewatch it later, i think you have a so such strong credibility for me and others now so, keep it up babe!!
    Cheerz ppl!!

    nico ;-)

  8. deluxenn says:

    I want to say something oversmart but I’m lazy ;-) :cool: :lol:

  9. Marina tells us where buttermilk comes from
    in the latest Russian Word Lesson :grin:

    You can’t make pancakes without buttermilk! :mrgreen:

    Don’t forget to rate this one 5 stars,
    and answer the homework question :cool:

    Milk does a body good ;-)

    • Evan Owen says:

      Lactose intolerance: less common in {Caucasians} than other races. Maybe because, like kefir, we originated in the {Кавказ}. :razz:

      Hey Marina, how about {borshch} ({borsht}? :???: ) What the hey… {борщ} :grin:

  10. I was reminded very much of Monty Python, and the elaborate words used by them to conjure all sorts of bizarre imagery.
    The British have a way of taking a character with a disposition of snobbery and creating a mockery; achieving a very humorous result.
    …and the graphics were cool :mrgreen:

  11. Cyberquill says:

    Not to be confused with language pendants, which are little dictionaries suspended from a woman’s earlobes.

  12. mijj says:

    Excellent vid. I think M did a very good job of imitating Fry’s voice. Though the accent did sneak through on a couple of occasions.

    Language is one of the many ways we have to communicate meaning. That is Its *purpose*. Pedants prioritise “rules” even if it impedes meanining.

    Thanks, Cap’n Haddock, for tweeting this vid.

  13. sniperskaya says:

    Now I see where Seth MacFarlane got the idea for Stewie.

  14. neuroway says:

    Who gave us language to wipe away the silence?
    What were we doing when we unleashed this noisy brain fart from our mouth?
    Whither is it going now? Who is disturbed by it? Whither are we going?
    Away from all meanings? Are we not babbling continually?
    Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions?
    Is there still any up or down?
    Are we not noisy, as though an infinite blubbering creation?
    Do we not feel the silence of empty space?
    Has it not become hotter? Is not night continually closing in on us?

    Silence is the ultimate language. The most meaningful. Everything else is blabber in the wind that will bleed to death before the knives of Time. Who will wipe this blood off it? :roll:

  15. wetsuit5 says:

    Wow, that was well done!
    Lot of artistic talent and thought.
    Thanks Marina for sharing.

  16. VenomRocK says:

    Stephen Fry is brilliant in this video. Another awesome find Marina. :cool:

    :grin: Some bits of Fry and Laurie :razz: :roll: :mrgreen:

  17. thematrix75 says:

    Hello everyone, how’s it going tonight, or day? This is a fantastic tribute to Karl! Every word is spoken from the heart, and to me it is all truth he speaks! What a very clever, caring, language lover, more than anyone I meet he was! Such dedication the man had toward his passion, and was more than welcome to help anyone out in class with a problem, with language, and other technical troubles, our just to lend a helping hand to a friend, which he had many! Such a great man, I still miss him alot, he was a good friend to me, and many others!So many mixed emotions about this video, and the great man Karl! May you R.I.P. Karl, and your knowledge, wisdom, insights, charm, wit,kindness,and all your teaching live on forever! Peace :!: :cool: :smile: :cry:

  18. Great video… remarkable that the “old chap” speaking… Stephen Fry… can speak so well and not say ah or um along the way. Indubitably, he did a splendid job of “HOTFORWORDING TM” :grin:

  19. leoNard says:

    More work…how loving…words :lol:

These are facebook comments below.

Author:

Not your typical philologist! Putting the LOL in PhiLOLogy :-)