posted
English is just the most fantastic thing, isn't it?
I'm sitting here at my desk, and two conversations are in progress within earshot.
1. A Bulgarian, a Finn and an Azerbaijani. 2. A Romanian and an Indian.
In English, of course. The Germans here even speak English to each other a lot of the time.
We just ended up with a world language, just like that. It happens to be called "English", but the name is about as relevant now as "French fries" or "China plates". No one could have planned it, could they?
How long before all other languages just become dialects, do you reckon?
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What is more likely (though still unlikely) is for a kind of diglossia to develop, but I can only see that happening in heavily industrialised technologicalised business-thrusting innovative parts of the world.
posted
It is reckoned that english will eventually take in parts of other languages, dialects and accents until everyone in the world is speaking the same mish-mash of languages. Will peace then have a chance?
quote:The language of the future is expected to be Panglish, otherwise known as Pan English. 80% of people who speak English don't speak it as their first language. A popular language based on this currently is Singlish, a mixture of English, Chinese and Malay, the Singaporean equivalent of Franglais. In Singlish, "Layleo" means "radio", "Lolex" means "Rolex" and "Orleng tzu" means "orange juice". It just shows that the English language has evolved from when the Anglo-Saxons invaded the country.
As for how it came about, I think the empire helped, all those years ago. English isn't the most spoken language though is it? That's got to be mandarin hasn't it? Spanish is fairly widely spoken too.
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quote:I am based in Malaysia and Singapore. While it is true that some of the older folks who have not received education in english tend to mispronounce 'r' as 'l'. Generally, people can pronounce "orange juice" and "olange tzu' will probably get you several blank stares. I felt that the show misrepresented what singlish is. Singlish is more of an incorporation of words from different languages rather than a mispronounciation of words. It is only used in informal settings. Standard english is still used for official/formal purposes. Most Singaporeans and Malaysians can use both comfortably.
H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
I asked for this book as one of my birthday presents earlier this year - it's an excellent coffee table book to dip into now and again setting out how English has developed as a language and how words become co-opted into it.
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quote:Originally posted by mart: That last sentence reads like a child has written it.
It's actually annoying me every time I look at it. Not just for the complete banality of it, but because a mangled version of English spoken in another country probably isn't even the best example of how English has evolved since the Anglo Saxons invaded. It could be better illustrated by picking a piece of English writing any time in the last thousand years up until about maybe 90 years ago and then reading that and thinking "wow, that's pretty different to what people speak like now".
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posted
It also seems just a tiny bit racist. It's like taking a phonetic interpretation of a strong accent and then writing it down as if this is actually the word that someone is using. It's like saying "hahahah Japanese people think that Rice is called Lice!" when actually they know the word perfectly well but just have a hard time pronouncing it.
The whole thing reeks of bullshit.
Why not look at Middle English as an example of how words have evolved phonetically.
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posted
Have you seen teh Chevy Volt? It can go 40 miles without petrol or harmful emmissions. A good example of how transport has evolved since the anglo-saxons invaded.
Why would someone want to write about this mediocre trivia programme in such hellish, lobe-raping detail? Is there something about Stephen Fry that I just don't get? People treat him like some sort of latterday Dr Johnson rather than the Gyles Brandreth/Nigel Rees understudy he so clearly is.
Octavia
I hate Valentine's Day. Stupid commercialised crap
posted
quote:Originally posted by mart: That last sentence reads like a child has written it.
And what about the Romans? The Normans? The Jutes and the Danes? What's so special about the Angles and the Saxons? Racism.
Anyway. Isn't part of what makes English infinitely adaptable the fact that - grammatically speaking - it's rubbish. It isn't as rigid as most of the other Latinate/Indo-European languages so it can tolerate a lot of bashing about.
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posted
I think my favourite absorbed English word is good old "Blighty", which is an Anglicisation of the Hindustani word for "foreign".
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quote:Originally posted by ben: [QUOTE]Originally posted by mart: [qb] Why would someone want to write about this mediocre trivia programme in such hellish, lobe-raping detail? Is there something about Stephen Fry that I just don't get? People treat him like some sort of latterday Dr Johnson rather than the Gyles Brandreth/Nigel Rees understudy he so clearly is.
It's because he's grandiloquent, which some people mistake for great intelligence. Much like science is indistinguishable from magic, to the sufficiently cretinous.
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posted
Yeah, it's all gone a bit far with the Stephen Fry worship, but I don't think that's his fault. He's a funny guy whose act is based around that grandiloquence, which has been converted into National Treasure by, I dunno, the Radio Times or something? And QI still makes oi laff. But I like panel comedy stuff. Would I Lie To You makes oi laff too, with National Treasure-in-waiting David Mitchell and that working class fellow on the other team.
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quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: Sue Perkins?
Dear god. I'd pretty much expunged this wretched idiot from my memory, and now you've reminded me of her. She's like 'the new Steve Punt' or something, which is about the bleakest designation you can bestow on a performer. You people really need to stop watching this stuff. Seriously. It's becoming a problem.
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quote:Originally posted by dang65: This is a golden age for comedy panel games.
GRIMMEST SENTENCE IN THE HISTORY OF ENTERTAINMENTPosts: 13758
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Octavia
I hate Valentine's Day. Stupid commercialised crap
posted
quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: Sue Perkins
She's light entertainment's Second Official Lesbian (The First OL being Sandi Toksvig, obv). Doesn't she do that food thing with Giles Coren?
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H1ppychick
We all prisoners, chickee-baby. We all locked in.
posted
quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis:
quote:Originally posted by MiscellaneousFiles: Sue Perkins?
Dear god. I'd pretty much expunged this wretched idiot from my memory, and now you've reminded me of her. She's like 'the new Steve Punt' or something, which is about the bleakest designation you can bestow on a performer. You people really need to stop watching this stuff. Seriously. It's becoming a problem.
Have you never watched The Supersizers? That's one of my TV highlights.
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posted
No - I haven't watched TV since Stewart Lee's Comedy Cehicle back in February. I only remember Sue Perkins from that Mel and Sue lunchtime thing she did in the nineties.
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quote:Originally posted by Thorn Davis: You people really need to stop watching this stuff. Seriously. It's becoming a problem.
I thought it was an alright series, quite like her presenting style as it happens.
So what is worth watching in your opinion (everyone, not just Thorn), what do you consider entertaining? And I'm not just prodding for a reaction here, I'm genuinely intrigued because whatever gets mentioned seems to get shot down in flames for one reason or another.
Is there any worthwhile light entertainment programmes on these days? or should we just give up on the medium of TV, leave it to the uneducated masses while we just sit around with a self-satisfied feeling from criticising anything that is produced?
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quote:Originally posted by Keef: I'm genuinely intrigued because whatever gets mentioned seems to get shot down in flames for one reason or another.
It's only Thorn that shoots stuff down, isn't it. I mean, as a matter of routine. Ben occasionally lets his guard down and endorses something which proles might also enjoy.
I like a lot of stuff myself, though I'm a bit restricted in my choice because I rely a lot on the BBC iPlayer these days. I listen to radio comedy and I download various TV programmes to watch on the plane or in the hotel when I'm away during the week. So, it's almost exclusively BBC comedy and documentaries that I watch. I don't think I've ever watched an American series like The Wire or 24 or any of those highly-regarded things. They're just on the wrong channel.
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posted
I don't actually seem to watch anything which isn't
- animated comedy (south park, family guy, etc) - documentary - motorsports - news
I literally can't remember the last time I tried to engage with a drama series. Possibly the first season of Lost, and even then I found it hard to keep interested.
Long running drama series' are a bit of a problem for me, because if you miss an episode it messes it all up for you. And it's a big commitment to say that I'm going to be sat in front of my telly at the same time, every week, for possibly months.
Whereas comedy shows you can just catch the odd episode now and then when you feel inclined to watch a bit of telly.
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quote:Originally posted by Ringo: Long running drama series' are a bit of a problem for me, because if you miss an episode it messes it all up for you. And it's a big commitment to say that I'm going to be sat in front of my telly at the same time, every week, for possibly months.
That's why we download TV. No adverts. Watch when you want. It's a bit like having a DVD box set, except you don't have to get up and change the disc.
The latest episode of American Dad was excellent.
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posted
Well yeah, but it's still quite a commitment. If it's something like 24, you're talking about 24 hours of your life devoted to watching a show. With Lost it could be... I have no idea. Weeks?
I guess i just don't find it an exciting prospect. Obviously. Otherwise I'd make an effort.
I always watch charlie brooker's various shows, whether on the telly or on iplayer/4od etc.
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