A Bit of Fry and Laurie...Tricky Linguistics

[Naturality]

Marjorie is dead? DAMN!

[TheLenna97]

who can possibly unlike this????? lmao love 'eeeem!!!!!!! :D

[Jamesvazella2017]

I like the fact that people in Britain make fun of their language as the Custodians.

Speech and Comedy go hand in hand.

Yours Ever and Faithfully James Bedu Kodjo Graham.

[MrDotdaniel]

@XxQueenOfLolagexX Give 'Jeeves and Wooster' a watch too if you get the chance

[ookalongbangbang]

language is my checkout girl - of course it is - of course it is - of course it is :)

[wendus93]

Demagoguery?

Demagoguery.

And by "demagoguery" you mean...

By "demagoguery" I mean demagoguery...

[summertimeposse]

Our language, Tiger, Our language...

[imrepeto]

I need a sript of this.

[rockoqatsi]

@the1musiclad Has friendly milk countermanded your trousers?

[manoso]

try to watch it with close captions... lol not even close

[FatherJohnCarmody]

I didn't realize House (not the show, the actor, can't remember his name) was English

[TheBex1901]

@FatherJohnCarmody that's just sad

[MySoggyCornflake]

"Exstrensically, extrensically..."

[Cippaist]

The chess bit isn't it also in fry's podcast on Language?

[1stCainite]

From this to House.

How the mighty have fallen.

[koratvinnie]

Search for 'A Discussion of Language' to see the same clip with much better picture quality

[koratvinnie]

@sevensixsixtwo Fry has done adverts throughout his career. His first was for Whitbread Beer in 1982.

[Imiahwow]

Poor Marjorie.

[somethingdiffrant]

EXTRINSICALLY-EXTRINISCALLY!

[vladimirkle]

listen to me, listen to me

[gwbwatch]

Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers

[ciaobellakate]

I love saying aloud sentences that I can't imagine anyone else ever saying before.

[LaurelVentura]

By demagoguery I mean demagoguery JEEZ HUGH

[sevensixsixtwo]

It's such ashame what Fry has become. He's clearly a great, but he's let himself down with the adverts and position of 'go-to' guy.

[Dionysos37]

Stephen murders his university profs with every mannerism---starting with the look toward heaven wherein angels will form his "question" and next words for him, while we wait in rapt attention (his)....Ex-trinsically, a scream!

[LittleMissVicious91]

Hold the newsreader’s nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers.....

[MsMeMyself19]

Language is my mother, my father, my husband, my brother, my sister, my whore, my mistress, my check-out girl... language is a complimentary moist lemon-scented cleansing square or handy freshen-up wipette. Language is the breath of God. Language is the dew on a fresh apple, it's the soft rain of dust that falls into a shaft of morning light as you pluck from a old bookshelf a half-forgotten book of erotic memoirs

[blanchedubois11]

FAVOURITE PART:

EX-trinsically, EX-trinsically!!!!

I LOVE the hand movements,and how Hugh Laurie joins in the second time!!!!

CLASSIC!!!

[Tenkeskap]

Marjorie is dead!! 

[MAGOazul26]

Intelligent, cultural comedy.

Where to find some of that in these foolish times?

[TheBeowulf19]

Steven's hair!!!!!! HA HA!

[LifeIsTheGreatest]

That takes talent. Sheesh.

[marler4]

You shall not like this comment !!

[mymphr]

...I completely understand all of this. Is that bad?

[purplefood1]

@mymphr If it is bad then we're both in trouble...

[mymphr]

@purplefood1 Oh dear...haha

[muppetlover312]

@mymphr No. In fact it means you're brilliant and I'm a little bit in love with you :P

[mymphr]

@muppetlover312 Hehe :D

[p3rs0nan0ngrata]

@mymphr

Well, either you think it's bad because you find the capacity for great intellect to be inherently disadvantageous, or you think it is bad because you are aware of the inferior intellectual prowess of the general populus, thus rendering your ability to grasp the subject matter bad due primarily to the fact that you find yourself forced to compartmentalise yourself as a 'geek' or, perhaps, even that most heinous of entities, the 'nerd'.

Either way, yes, it is bad.

[mymphr]

@p3rs0nan0ngrata I like you.

[TheMaisieMaze]

Something tells me these are things Stephen Fry has actually pondered.

[joshuaoha]

Fry and Laurie! Comedic intelligence beyond the grasp of most of us.

[USERNAMEfieldempty]

Only these two could do something this funny while still banging out a fiercely intellectual and concise argument at the same time.

[Eskanasi]

@USERNAMEfieldempty CONCISE!!! loool.

[MissGrapeNehi]

I hate to gush about how much I love Stephen Fry and his brilliant command of the English language, but may I? May I?

[jokinggerman]

Help! Margarine instead!

[triffidswillgetyou]

Dear Mr. Fry; Please tutor, marry, abduct or, if necessary, absorb me. You are freaking brilliant.

PostScript:  Was that House?!

[soulblacknight]

@triffidswillgetyou indeed... that's how Hugh Laurie got to be famous in the first place

[DavidGaluska]

we're talking about chickens , were talking about aids. Gota love the automatic captions.

[1tutree4GO]

Fry sure has a way with words *sniff sniff*

[julesmaester]

Watch with the Beta captions on. Its hilarious!

[emmie4]

wipette...!

[MrJayCudmore]

CABURBRLE.

[Rawego]

these pompous asses do exist, like cockroaches in our enclaves of academia :))

[SpiritWanderer91]

i always talk like that plus what they say is interesting... can imagine a bunch of uneducated peasants laughing at this tho ...hm

[EmmyNeander]

Oh look, they videotaped my Oxford interview!

[Veyneru]

@XDCabooseXDOwnzXD Ha, thanks.

[shatminer]

Gold.

[aMadhuve]

tee hee

[Mooandi]

Brilliant comedy and all I can think about is how much I WANT HUGH LAURIE.

[Allotmenteer2]

Pure brilliance!

[jb2lk]

so very very gay :)

[Veyneru]

@jb2lk "Age: 26"

ohai, aren't you a little too old to be using an insult used mostly by immature teenage boys?

[MokonaDemon]

@Veyneru but stephen fry *is* gay... I'm hoping that's what they meant, given the :).

[mrChe5ter1]

"that hurt, help, margarie is dead" classic

[zenzombie72]

The hulk of a charred Panzer.

[xgwynx]

I know exactly what he's talking about. That doesn't make me a nerd does it?



[rocktherecipe]

57 people hate their language and yet and yet and yet and yet and yet can't express HOW much they hate their language

[Louqueetsch]

...in Dorset alone ;))

[Phaze252]

Every American should be commanded to watch this until they can understand every word that is uttered.

Because I was completely halted by, "Demagoguery..I mean...Highly charged, oratory, persuasive, whipping up, rhetoric"

It goes to show how ignorant I am of my own native language....

[PaulSLambeth]

@Phaze252 If you've never used the words you listed before or felt yourself hindered by not knowing those words, I don't think you're worse off for not knowing them.

[wallabeetles]

Love Laurie's accent.

[fosterroberts]

57 people don't understand any languages.

[steveteflon]

By demagoguery I mean demagoguery...lmao!

[lovablerocker]

This sketch makes me want to memorize several dictionaries, but at the same time made me laugh.

[comexisci]

What Fry is saying does actually really make sense, if you think about it! Brilliant!

[diecheney]

of course it is of course it is of course it is of course it is

[RiseOfSuperDogAway96]

English comedy is brilliant.

[annikee59]

Marjorie alert!!!!

[qhubbles]

of course it is, of course it is, of course it is, of course it is, of course it is.

[alepulsar]

I'm in love with Hugh Laurie and that's why I'm watching this, but I got to say it: Stephen Fry is AWESOME!!!!!

[sachimps]

Help, Marjorie is dead

[DelilahMalfoy]

The 56 people that don't like this, have no understood that we are talking about chickens and eggs.

[sigujo]

I cannot comprehend how he was able to memorize this sketch

[shuiyuki]

@sigujo I don't think it was memorized but rather done as he was going. He is quite capable of doing such.

[Vinnieification]

FRILLIONS

[TheAverageFox]

Of course it is, of course it is, of course it is, of course it is the best Fry and Laurie sketch ever.

[DTROXX]

56 gits in Dorset alone

[stampingdragon]

One of our better exports Granted. Unlike the Federal Reserve bank and global imperialism.

[booduh1181]

@stampingdragon whoa whoa whoa whoa, are you denying the english empire or the birth of capitalism in england?

[SethWreckLollis]

@booduh1181 I just got the impression they prefer THIS to those.

[weareshinyhappy]

MARGERY!

[yorgundunyali]

am i the only one who cannot watch this video? it gives me an error message.

[rnrmatthews]

It's great how absolutely intelligent their sketches are. This is really the best sort of comedy out there, because it doesn't just make you laugh, it makes you think.

[koratvinnie]

@randidno

Yes, or it could be a reference to hare coursing and the tortuous, zig-zagging running style of a pursued hare or rabbit.

[jekari0]

omg everybody on here is talking very proper...

I'll give it an hour.. ;p

[Blasted2Oblivion]

I love these guys. Everyone knows where Laurie is but where is Fry right now?

[Mcjammi]

@Blasted2Oblivion erm, QI ??

[Blasted2Oblivion]

@Mcjammi ok. What is QI?

[beyongthepale]

@Blasted2Oblivion QI is Quite Interesting, it's a panel-type quiz show. Very, very good, I thoroughly recommend it.

[thepofmeister]

i love fry when he plays these off their rocker characters... genius. what a duo. here's to a 5th season....

[AlabamaIceman]

All different types of comedy have their place and can be equally funny, but as an American I certainly do adore these two as well as British humor in general. While Hugh Laurie is brilliant as Dr. House, we certainly aren't getting the breadth of his talent, I wish there were more sketches with these two being made.

I also just recently started watching Bones and was thrilled to see Stephen make a recurring guest appearance in that show. These two are insidiously invading American TV, hah.

[randidno]

@ShowYourWorking - Good work for clearing up the leveret. Thank you. It seems it is from the dog-racing world, where an artificial hare is sent off for the greyhounds to chase, ergo leading to its non-greyhound meaning of diversion from the discussion. I thought initially it was Stephen being nonsensical.

[sludgefingers]

@ShowYourWorking Sorry yes - you're right.

[sludgefingers]

Some dumb comments on here (leverets etc). They'll be trying to explain friendly milk countermanding trousers next.

[sludgefingers]

@ShowYourWorking Bollocks, no it doesn't.

[Stario187]

@ShowYourWorking But that makes even less sense to the point where the sentence is completely nonsensical. In your version, he says 'Let me start a leveret here', which basically translates into 'Let me start a young hare here'. How does that make any sense at all? Give the character some credit, even though he uses complex words, the sentences do make sense. And with 'levirate', it does make sense (in a strange way, of course).

[ShowYourWorking]

Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.

[Stario187]

@randidno In a bizarre way, of course :)

[reghin79]

Masterfully done up to a point: "the first downy growth on the upper lip of a Mediterranean girl", is it language, as in appropriation and use of complex system of communication BY MAN, or is it simply nature (which in fact communicates with only those of a peaking individualism)? There, I've gone and offended the poor Mediterranean girl even further.

[ThatCheshireLadBloke]

oh god, friendly milk just countermanded my trousers. and marjorie just died. this is a great day...

[koratvinnie]

3:43 - 3:45 Does he say "the hulk of a charred Panzer"?!

[swallace565]

@koratvinnie yes he does. i think he is referring to the chassis.

[Xam271]

i studied linguistics and history of the english language. i cringed when i watched this the first time.

[L0rdDavid]

Every time I watch this sketch I notice another clever twist of language.

[tuptuptuptup]

I really enjoyed this, but I didn't get one thing, probably because my english isn't good enough, what does Stephen mean when he says: "let me start a leveret here" at about 1:35 ? Could sombody explain?

[randidno]

@tuptuptuptup "Let me start a leveret here" is nonsense. A leveret is a young hare.

[Stario187]

@randidno Maybe it's 'levirate' which basically means that a woman is required to marry her dead husband's brother if she has no sons. As a metaphor, Fry uses it in the context of 'language' and 'speech', 'chess' and 'a game of chess'. It would make sense this way.

[penumbra155]

Educating, thought-provoking and yet self-mocking and deprecating. Brilliant, utterly brilliant!!!

[Slash4321234]

i'm sorry Fry, but i've already said that way before you...

[sgtmcwallace]

BRILLIANT!!

[jaboodi]

I just love that if you take the silly names and voices out of this it makes very interesting points.

[AnyaTH]

I get down on my knees in front of who wrote this dialogue.

[IC114283]

@AnyaTH I get down on my knees for Fry for remembering the dialogue ;)

[OtakuViking]

Gotta love friendly milk countermanding your trousers.

[Taraquin]

Today, and by mere coincidence , I attended my regular Friday architectural theory class, where my teacher was giving a lesson on structuralism, and its definition in various fields, including linguistics - during which, she presented the thoughts and works of Ferdinand de Saussure. Now at home, I went on youtube, seeing this for the first time...

My reaction is best described with a combination of "lol" and "woah"

[JayfuzOMarley]

@Taraquin lol and woah... law ?

[EmilTowersIV]

yeah lol bleedin fantastic!

[narozzz]

.....and it goes straight into the America song!

[bibinka85]

Can smb help me finding the script of this vid?

[DixieVagabond]

@bibinka85

You can buy Fry and Laurie script books quite cheaply, look on amazon and the like.

[koratvinnie]

2:04 "Our language, tiger..." ;D

[MsBabylove11]

Fan bloody tastic!

[narozzz]

I almost died at 2:39. Hugh's delayed, reconsidering reaction is nothing short of genius all by itself.

[SlickSmooth22]

if i may compartmentalize i hate you but may i

[Emsyphine]

I know it off by heart :) I learnt it years ago and still remember it <3

[drv7788]

I will never watch house the same way again.

[horrabletypoe]

At the start, Fry actually makes quite a lot of sense. I'm not sure if it was language itself, or the general cynical climate, but there was no way Hitler would have been even remotely successful in an English-speaking nation.

[wort148]

Is English capable of sustaining demagoguery?

[sludgefingers]

'Let me start a leverett here' :-)

[koratvinnie]

"It's the first downy growth on the upper lip of a Mediterranean girl."

[imaginecomplexly]

I just stumbled upon this.. and it's wonderful.

[thoughtadventure]

I don't want my trousers countermanded!

[thoughtadventure]

I don't want my trousers countermanded!

[DailyBrusher]

"Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers." Reminds me of Chomsky's "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously." Also hear some T.S. Eliot in there!

[roni1983]

@DailyBrusher I think it is exactly a parody of Chomsky's famous sentence :)

BTW, Fry is currently shooting a series about language world-wide.

[NickyLess]

@DailyBrusher My english language teacher should this in class one day to give a funny example :)

[entrancendental]

@NickyLess

I think you accidentally a word, there

[NickyLess]

@entrancendental LOL! Sorry, wasn't really with "it" when I wrote that.

[DisturbedFreakJP]

"Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers."

The level of comic genius that went into formulating this singular quotation is beyond anything I could likely hope to dream up... ever.

[hoobool]

i love the way fry says capable

[13owlets]

I'd like to countermand Stephen's trousers. Rowr.........

[baashish]

A unique child delivered of a unique mother.

[alttakes]

Haha, makes me think of Zizek.

[poppy90290]

Fry is absolutely brilliant!!!! What a treat.

[qukazoo]

I actually felt the need to say that second "extrinsically", just like Hugh did. I always do when I watch this. :P

"May I compartmentalize? I hate to, but may I! May I!"

[MarkDangerSmith]

very james joyce inspired i think

[EarthBus]

I cannot quantify how much smarter I am BECAUSE of English comedians like Fry and Laurie and Monty Python; I just know that had I not been exposed to them as young as I was, I'd never have developed a lexicon beyond my public school education.

And of course, had I grown up English, any sort of pontification upon ontological pursuits utilizing and employing multi-syllabic, exotic words in school wouldn't have earned derision and the unmistakable fizzling of half-spoken whispers, "FFFagg."

[CIoudbby]

@EarthBus grandiloquence =/= eloquence. i'll take beckett over joyce any day. except bloomsday. .

[scurvymouth]

@EarthBus

oh dear... i laughed at this one...

[Sboy200]

@EarthBus it would of.... trust me....

[tommysdaman]

@Sboy200 Would have*

[dandelionpetals]

"and by demagoguery you mean..."

"by demagoguery i mean demagoguery"

[enderwigginfan]

@dandelionpetals "i thought so!"

[Chris201076]

Pure word-music.

[Wreckoftheday210]

"Language is my mother, my father, my husband, my brother, my sister, my whore, my mistress, my checkout girl;

Language is a complementary moist lemon-scented cleansing square."

Thank you for being so gosh darn quotable!

[Wreckoftheday210]

"Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter! Or friendly milk will countermand my trousers."

"I love you."

"Don't go in there."

"Get out."

"You have no right to say that."

"Stop it."

"Why should I?"

"Help!"

"Marjorie is dead."

[libville]

That was funny.

[youtubister]

These 3 mins. and 59 secs. perfectly sum up Stephen Fry's genius.

Now, who is behind MrsStephenFry on Twitter; that's what I wanna know? ;-)

[youtubister]

Stephen Fry simply runs away with this, and that's not taking anything away from Hugh - very big in the States - Laurie.

Brilliant stuff, this.

[Kitsua]

A classic English Fry-up.