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Revision as of 00:12, 19 April 2003
Comedians have long regarded certain words as being inherently funny, and have used them to enhance the humour of their comic routines.
In the English language, these tend to include words with the letters 'c' and 'k' in and words with the vowel sounds 'oo', 'o' and 'aa'.
For example:
- "aardvark"
- "badger" (the comedic writer Dave Barry frequently uses badger in this manner, and has written an essay on how usage makes any joke funnier)
- "sock"
- "pock"
- "cack"
- "kumquat"
- "rutabaga"
- "balloon"
- "bassoon"
- "nodal"
Examples of references to the concept:
- In The Simpsons episode "Homer the Clown", Krusty the Klown tells Homer: "Memorize these funny place names. Walla Walla. Keokuk. Seattle."
- In Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys, a character says: "Words with a 'k' in it are funny. Alkaseltzer is funny. Chicken is funny. Pickle is funny. All with a 'k'. 'L's are not funny. 'M's are not funny."
- Monty Python's "Woody and Tinny words" sketch features extensive play on the sounds of English words for their inherent humour.
Unresolved questions about inherently funny words include:
- Are there any known physiological or linguistic reasons for why these words are funny?
- Are the funny sounds the same in other languages?