Comments on: Series 2 Episode 3, Language

By: da_phish

da_phish — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:57:04 +0000

I just need to comment that today or at least the rather binary today that ended 50 minutes and a bottle and a half of wine ago was the day I learned that my better half will be having my child. It’s early days on that front but I would like to assure Mr Fry that I will ensure it is heard by my currently genderless progeny whenever they are old enough to hear it.

By: Harry Lime

Harry Lime — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:09:20 +0000

The phrase ‘fell pregnant’ has never fallen on my ears before. Wictionary refers to article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3626615/How-words-fall-pregnant-with-the-possibility-of-being-twisted.html but this isn’t a really positive reflection on the phrase. Reads more like an indictment of our epoch. Didn’t want today to end but that I had ‘actioned’ this.

By: Harry Lime

Harry Lime — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 01:29:03 +0000

This is my first podcast, and was not a bit what I expected; a college lecture-ish sort of thing, particularly one on not being an English snob, or perhaps more clearly and less offensively, a snob of English usage. On one hand, I want to physically harm people who use “had went”. Otherwise, and I feel not contradictorily, I agree on a generally permissive attitude for the literate. I am secretly galled by Dr. Hyphen, the super-villain of correctness of my order. But till today I didn’t realize his diabolical crime was pedantry. I thought they put you in jail for that. I also despair about the limitations of my education… my teachers didn’t know bugger about Greek.

By: mrsllew

mrsllew — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:30:32 +0000

Having only recently listened to this particular podcast, I am mindful that you didn’t want people to comment on misuses of language, but this one that happened to me today must be shared:

I have recently fallen pregnant for a second time, and had a booking-in appointment with the midwife. I had to read through and sign several forms, one of which asked for my religion. Underneath this space it stated that I may wish to “be visited by a Chaplin” in the hospital. I don’t know that I want my newborn child’s first experience of faith to be a short man with a clipped moustache, bandy legs and a skill for physical comedy!

Just tickled me so I thought you’d like to know…

By: korova_milk_bar

korova_milk_bar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:06:29 +0000

This podcast has come to be such a help to me recently as a second year undergraduate trying to understand the basics for critical theory. Difficult thing to do but for anyone looking to even simply grasp the basic ideas of Saussuere then I highly recommend this podcast. It has been an invaluable and a great aid in allowing me to gain a very good initial understanding without boring the pants off me in class. If only all lecturers talked like Mr Fry, mmm, what a thought!

By: Sub-Level28

Sub-Level28 — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:19:51 +0000

Refreshing to hear your thoughts in this matter.

While I am not obsessive about language myself in that I don’t go around being a grammar police or some such thing.
I do take pride in using it “properly” when writing and expanding my knowledge about them. And increasing my skill in expressing myself, you know increasing the vocabulary and such things.
I want to learn one or two more in my lifetime.

And english is my second language by the way.