Fry & Laurie had a sketch[0] that, behind the silliness and ridiculous characterization, sets out Ferdinand de Saussure’s distinction of langue versus parole that is the foundation of modern linguistics. [0] [this video]
Silly sketch setting out Saussure's langue versus parole.
Our language, Tiger, our language, hundreds of thousands of available words, frillions of possible legitimate new ideas, so that I can say this sentence and be confident it has never been uttered before in the history of human communication: "Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers." A Bit of Fry & Laurie Concerning Language: [this video]
Reminds me of this sketch from A bit of Fry and Laurie: Hugh: And by demagoguery you mean ...? Stephen: I mean demagoguery, I mean highly-charged oratory, persuasive whipping up rhetoric… Transcript: [link] Video: [this video]
> stephen fry "May I compartmentalise? I hate to, but may I? may I?" "Hold the newsreader's nose squarely, waiter, or friendly milk will countermand my trousers" "...saying the same weary things time after weary time: I love you. Don't go in there. Get out. You have no right to say that. Stop that. Why should I. That hurt. Help. Marjorie is dead" [this video] (fantastic sketch!)
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