| Revision as of 08:55, 22 May 2003 editAndre Engels (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers20,763 edits removed the list of funny words, which in my opinion is POV← Previous edit | Revision as of 15:33, 22 May 2003 edit undoIhcoyc (talk | contribs)30,401 edits + Yiddish and GermanNext edit → | ||
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| These comedy routines, by propogating the ] that the words used are funny, increased the comedy potential of the words by adding another level of association to comedy. | These comedy routines, by propogating the ] that the words used are funny, increased the comedy potential of the words by adding another level of association to comedy. | ||
| In the ], these tend to include words with the letters 'c' and 'k' in and words with the vowel sounds 'oo', 'o' and 'aa'. | In the ], these tend to include words with the letters 'c' and 'k' in and words with the vowel sounds 'oo', 'o' and 'aa'. ] and ] words often seem funny to English speakers, in particular those that begin with the /∫/ sound spelled as ''sch-''. | ||
| Unresolved questions about inherently funny words include: | Unresolved questions about inherently funny words include: | ||
Revision as of 15:33, 22 May 2003
Comedians have long regarded certain words as being inherently funny, and have used them to enhance the humor of their comic routines.
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.
These comedy routines, by propogating the meme that the words used are funny, increased the comedy potential of the words by adding another level of association to comedy.
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'. Yiddish and German words often seem funny to English speakers, in particular those that begin with the /∫/ sound spelled as sch-.
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?
See also: