This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 213.253.40.209 (talk) at 00:36, 28 November 2002 (Monty Python's "Woody and Tinny words" sketch). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:36, 28 November 2002 by 213.253.40.209 (talk) (Monty Python's "Woody and Tinny words" sketch)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Comedians have long regarded certain words as being inherently funny, and used them to enhance the humor of their comic routines.
In the English language, these tend to include words with the letters 'c' and 'k' in and words with the sound 'oo' and 'aa'.
For example:
- "aardvark"
- "sock"
- "pock"
- "kack"
- "kumquat"
- "rutabaga"
- "balloon"
- "bassoon"
References:
- In The Simpsons episode "Homer the Clown", Krusty the Clown 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 the inherently funny words include:
- Are there any physiological or linguistic reason known about why thes words are funny?
- Are the funny sounds the same in other languages?