节目资讯
刊物:空中英語教室
日期:2012-02-14
难易度:Medium
关键字:substitute, groan, tangled, unintentionally
Hello, friends, and welcome back.
Thank you so much for joining us as we make these pun jokes.
Even if they're not all that funny, they can be a lot of fun.
I hope you're learning how to make English learning a fun experience for you.
If you have any pun jokes, you should write to us and tell them to us at
letters@StudioClassroom.com.
We would love to hear your puns.
Well, there are other ways to make great jokes in English as well.
So join us on page 29 at line 12.
(Music).
Funny English.
Getting your tongue tangled up can create some funny expressions called
spoonerisms.
Dr. William Archibald Spooner of Oxford, England, became famous for switching
sounds around.
Once when a stranger was sitting in the wrong place, he offered,
"May I sew you to another sheet? (May I show you to another seat?) Anyone can
make a spoonerism unintentionally.
Did you eat "keys and parrots" for lunch? (Or was it peas and carrots?).
Now a pun is a fun way to make a joke in English intentionally.
But there are other ways that you can unintentionally, or by accident, make a
joke.
Exactly. First we see that you can get your tongue tangled and that can create
some funny expressions which are called spoonerisms.
That's right. Your tongue tangled.
That's kind of hard to say.
It's doing exactly what it sounds like - it is tangling, messing up your tongue.
Exactly. Now if something is "tangled," that means it can be unorganized or can
get stuck.
Usually if someone's hair is in a mess, then it is really tangled.
I hate it when my hair gets tangled.
You need a brush or a comb to get rid of the knots.
Now your tongue does not need a brush or comb.
You don't need to brush out the knots of your tongue because, well, it doesn't
get wrapped like that.
Here we mean your words get all messed up.
Yeah, your words get stuck.
And so for example, there is something called a tongue twister.
And that means that there are a lot of words that can be difficult to say.
For example, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper... picked the... uh...
Oh, I can't do it.
Oh. I know that one.
I... I also know that tongue twister, but I know how to do it correctly.
OK, let's see.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did
Peter Piper pick?
Wow! Very nice.
Well, thank you very much.
That is a way to tangle your tongue.
Now an easy one that you friends could practice would... try to say the words
"toy, boat" one right after the other.
Hmm, toy, boat; toy, boat; toy... Oh.
See, we're English speakers, and it's even difficult for us.
Now there are other ways you can tangle your tongue called spoonerisms.
That's right.
Well, these come from Dr. William Archibald Spooner.
So "Spooner," that's his last name.
We see that that is where we got the name "spoonerism" from.
Right. And he is from Oxford, England.
And he became famous for switching sounds of words around.
Now once when a stranger was sitting in the wrong place, he offered: May I sew
you to another sheet?
May I sew you to another sheet?
So it sounds like he's saying: Oh, can I sew you to a sheet?
But of course, what is he really trying to say here, Kaylah?
Oh, he's trying to say: May I show you to another seat?
Oh. So he switched the sounds from the word "show" and the word "seat." And so
that made him say a completely different sentence.
Now sometimes we do this intentionally, and sometimes we do this by accident.
Now I have been known to do this by accident quite a bit.
Yes, I've done this too.
And you can do that "unintentionally." And that's exactly what that means,
Kaylah, is to do it by accident.
We see the word "intentional" there.
And that means you do something on purpose, you mean to do it.
So if it's unintentional, that means you didn't mean to do it at all.
That's right.
Oops. It's an accident.
But if you learn to laugh at yourself, you can understand and get the joke as
well.
OK. So here's some spoonersims that you may... or may not have done.
For example, did you eat "keys and parrots" for lunch?
Oh... or was it peas and carrots?
I hope you didn't eat keys or parrots because parrots are a very beautiful bird
that you're not supposed to eat.
Yeah. And you can actually see a picture of this on page 29 of a man trying to
eat some keys and parrots, looking a little confused.
Well, it's definitely easier to eat your peas and carrots.
And you need to remember, it's always good.
You need to eat peas and carrots.
They're good for you, both the green and the orange.
Exactly. So here this is a funny way, you just which sounds around and it
completely changes the meaning of what you're saying.
I know, Kaylah, many times when this happens to me, it just ends up not making
any sense, but it's still funny.
That's right.
I know we have a certain... For example, there's a certain kind of chair that
you can sit on in English called a futon.
Now at one point I was talking to my friends and I told them to get off the
tufon.
So this is another way you switch the sound around and people will probably
start laughing at you.
So it's another great reason to have a good sense of humor.
Yes, because I know I did not intentionally do that, because a "tufon" doesn't
mean anything.
So it was just a joke that people laughed at that I did not mean to do.
Exactly. Now that is very funny, and it's very easy to do.
Usually, like the article says, you don't do it on purpose.
But there are still times where you can switch things around on purpose to make
people laugh.
That's right. I know there is a very famous poem in English language.
We all know the story of Cinderella and her handsome prince, OK.
So he is a good-looking prince.
But there is a joke poem that is about Rindercella and her prandsome hince.
Yes. So you change all those sounds around.
Do you remember anymore of that poem, Kaylah?
Oh, no. That poem is so hard to remember.
But friends, look it up online.
It is very funny about Rindercella and her prandsome hince.
The entire poem is written in spoonerisms.
Right. So they say the entire story of Cinderella and her handsome prince in
spoonerisms.
It sounds like it would be very confusing to follow but would also be very
funny.
And it is very funny.
Well, friends, it's almost time for us to go.
But it's time for you to move on to the Chat Room.
Oh, no.
Hey, Ken, can I ask you a question?
Sure. What's up?
See, I can't think of the name of an actor.
Oh... what's his name?
I know! Once I say his name, you'll go: Oh, yeah, him!
See, I just can't think of his name.
It is driving me crazy.
Well, what movies has he been in?
Well, that's the thing! He has been in so many movies but I can't think of a
single one.
Oh! You know who I mean?
Uh, no, I don't.
I just can't think of his name.
It's on the tip of my tongue.
His name is on the tip of your tongue?
I don't get it.
Oh, that's just an expression.
If something is almost remembered, it's on the tip of the tongue.
I have this actor's name on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't think of it
right now.
I'm sure it'll come to me in a minute.
I see.
What about a slip of the tongue?
What's that?
A slip of the tongue is different.
Say, why don't we go to Doris for an explanation.
OK.
A slip of the tongue is an error in speaking in which a word is pronounced
incorrectly.
Sometimes we "make a slip of the tongue" when we say something unintentionally.
For example, instead of saying "look before you leap," you say "loop" before you
"leak." That's a slip of the tongue.
"Loop before you leak." I like that.
I do too.
That's what's called a spoonerism, which is when you switch around the sounds of
words.
In that example, the "K" sound in LOOK got switched with the "P" sound in LEAP.
Hmm. Can you give me another example of a spoonerism?
Sure.
A "loving shepherd" becomes a "shoving leopard" when spoonerism is applied.
Ah, interesting.
Sam Shepard!
What?
Sam Shepard! That's the actor I was trying to think of.
Well, I'm glad it came off the tip of your tongue.
Yeah, me too.
I feel much better now.
(Chinese).
(Chinese).
And we're running out of time.
I'll see you next time.
Bye-bye.
We just can't help it.
When we talk, we sometimes get our words tangled up.
Of course, whether they're intentional or unintentional, spoken or written,
spoonerisms can be pretty funny.
They can, Kaylah.
Friends, let me encourage you to pay close attention to that English book you're
reading or the English movie you're watching because you might run across a
spoonerism.
Like in the first Harry Potter book, the Weasley Brothers Fred and George are
referred to as Gred and Forge.
That's a spoonerism!
That's a good example.
OK, everyone, please join us tomorrow when we talk about the malapropism.
Until then, I hope you have a great Tuesday.
(Music).