Language by Stephen Fry

[Andrew49]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY

[Griska]

You've got to love that man.

[Andrew49]

You've got to love that man.

He's a thumping good writer and speaker .... and all-round good egg.

[C. Flower]

I was just about to say that he seems to have channelled Oscar Wilde, and the great man's name popped up :)

[truth.ie]

I was just about to say that he seems to have channelled Oscar Wilde, and the great man's name popped up :)
Well he did play Oscar Wilde in the screenplay.
Worth watching, if only to see Fry kissing a naked Jude Law, which i found quite surreal.

[parrhesiast]

Stephen Fry, brilliant as ever and, I must say, I find myself in agreement with his final (no, it's not tongue in cheek) sentiment concerning the aspiration (or should that be mis-aspiration?) of the letter 'h'.

Yes, Steven, I too wince every time I hear some one say, for example, the "haitch ess ee" (HSE); so far as I know the only other man in the Republic here besides myself who calls an aitch an aitch, that is, without mis-aspirating it, is good old Gay Byrne!

Regards,
Peter

[Kev Bar]

Well he did play Oscar Wilde in the screenplay.
Worth watching, if only to see Fry kissing a naked Jude Law, which i found quite surreal.

Men kissing? Don't tell youngdan.

[Andrew49]

Well he did play Oscar Wilde in the screenplay.
Worth watching, if only to see Fry kissing a naked Jude Law, which i found quite surreal.

I bet Jude got a lot out of it - I hear Fry is a great kisser ;)

[5intheface]

Stephen Fry, brilliant as ever and, I must say, I find myself in agreement with his final (no, it's not tongue in cheek) sentiment concerning the aspiration (or should that be mis-aspiration?) of the letter 'h'.

Yes, Steven, I too wince every time I hear some one say, for example, the "haitch ess ee" (HSE); so far as I know the only other man in the Republic here besides myself who calls an aitch an aitch, that is, without mis-aspirating it, is good old Gay Byrne!

Regards,
Peter

Whereas almost every single Protestant in the north says aitch, something which I've always found bewildering as never have I heard of anyone being instructed as to pronounce it one way or the other.

[parrhesiast]

Whereas almost every single Protestant in the north says aitch, something which I've always found bewildering as never have I heard of anyone being instructed as to pronounce it one way or the other.

Almost any English / American dictionary will give you the spelling and pronunciation of the letter 'H' (aitch.)

Regards,
Peter

[5intheface]

Almost any English / American dictionary will give you the spelling and pronunciation of the letter 'H' (aitch.)

Regards,
Peter

Actually I wasn't commenting on which was correct, just that in the north, it has always amazed me how one side says 'haitch', the other 'aitch' which would not be incredible if there was some sort of deliberate educational policy to cause such a difference.

I presume it has to be down to how the alphabet is taught to children but I have never come across a single example of this being done on purpose and believe me there are plenty of other examples.

[Andrew49]

Actually I wasn't commenting on which was correct, just that in the north, it has always amazed me how one side says 'haitch', the other 'aitch' which would not be incredible if there was some sort of deliberate educational policy to cause such a difference.

I presume it has to be down to how the alphabet is taught to children but I have never come across a single example of this being done on purpose and believe me there are plenty of other examples.

Is it ee-ther (either) or eye-ther (either) the correct pronunciation ? ... or will ayther of them do

[parrhesiast]

Actually I wasn't commenting on which was correct, just that in the north, it has always amazed me how one side says 'haitch', the other 'aitch' which would not be incredible if there was some sort of deliberate educational policy to cause such a difference.

I presume it has to be down to how the alphabet is taught to children but I have never come across a single example of this being done on purpose and believe me there are plenty of other examples.

But surely teaching is deliberate, it is on purpose; then why teach those that are claimed by one church one truth and those claimed by another church an opposite truth? It makes a mockery of education. Unless that is we are to tie education up in some arbitrary strait-jacket and call it culture. What comes first, culture and tradition, or truth?

And what are kids taught nowadays anyway? And by whom?

I'm not even sure the letter 'h' is properly a letter: are there any other aspirates in the alphabet? Does one member make for a league? Consonant-wise there are gutterals, dentals, labials; I think it is only the vowels that can be aspirated. But you never hear anybody saying, for instance, 'hower' when they're speaking of the chronological unit of time; or for that matter pronouncing the 'h' where it is silent as in, for example, honesty. Why's that?

[5intheface]

Is it ee-ther (either) or eye-ther (either) the correct pronunciation ? ... or will ayther of them do

I only ever hear 'iler'.