A Bit of Fry & Laurie Concerning Language

Fun English Lessons · comedy · Watch on YouTube

What it is

A Fry and Laurie sketch about language, full of absurd phrases and wordplay, which also plays on the distinction between langue and parole.

HN quotes it jokingly when talk turns to nonsense language, and one commenter points out its underlying linguistics.

“behind the silliness and ridiculous characterization, sets out Ferdinand de Saussure’s distinction of langue versus parole”
Silly sketch setting out Saussure's langue versus parole.
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Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: fry and laurie, sketch comedy, wordplay, linguistics, british humour