Speaking of John Cleese...

[kay1864]

Do the English pronounce his last name to rhyme with "cheese" or to rhyme with "fleece"?

Most Americans pronounce it (incorrectly) to rhyme with "fleece" (he made a remark about it years ago on David Letterman). So I was wondering if Brit-type folks did.

[tjwmason]

1. As it should be

to rhyme with cheese.

F.Y.I. he appeared in a party political broadcast for the Liberal Democrats a wee while ago, they're our third party, traditionally they were between the left-wing Labour Party and the right-wing Tories, but since the advent of NewLabour under Blair it's all anybody's guess.

[kay1864]

2. Cleese trivia...

Holds a law degree from Cambridge University.

When he had to join the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 1989, for his third appearance on American TV, none of the staff at the AFTRA office recognised him, or had any idea who he was.

John's father's name was Reg Cleese but his grandfather was named John Edwin Cheese. He changed his name when he joined the British army in 1915.

Reached adult height of 6' 4 3/4" by the age of 13.

Said he was to be the first person to say the F-word at a memorial service when he spoke at Graham Chapman's funeral.

His mother, Muriel Cleese (b. Cross, 11 November 1899 - 11 November 2000) died on her 101th birthday.

The inspiration for "Fawlty Towers" came from a hotel stay he had with the other Pythons in the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, England. The hotel manager was called Donald Sinclair, someone Cleese considered to be the rudest man he had ever encountered.

He allegedly refused the British Honour of the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1996.

[HughBeaumont]

16. He played a man named "Donald Sinclar" in "Rat Race"!!

That's where it comes from.

[Mutley]

3. John Cleese is everywhere lately.

And I've been pronouncing it wrong. :blush:

[tjwmason]

4. Don't worry.

It's probably not the only thing you've been pronouncing incorrectly. :P

I mean, bath, schedule and that's just for starters.

[Mutley]

5. At least Americans know how to use the letter "z".

As in "realize". :P

Actually, I always think it's funny when Americans say Brits are the ones pronouncing things wrong. I tell them that we're actually the ones bastardizing the language, considering you Brits have been around much much longer. :P

Oh, and it's bath with a short a, and schedule as in skedule, with a long u. :D

[tjwmason]

6. Do you have a problem with your keyboard?

You seem to have misspelt realise. :shrug: :P

Thanks for your comments about how we do everything better :P I would also note that which nation is more likely to be correct about the English language, the English nation or the American nation? :shrug:

Or to put it anotherway - the words of Flanders and Swann are perfect, i.m.o. http://www.janegalt.net/blog/archives/004023.html

[Mutley]

7. Who said anything about everything?

:P

You guys are the original. We're the innovators. I mean, look at the awesome president we have. :puke:

[tjwmason]

9. Ahh yes - and look at his Satrap in London.

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Mutley]

11. I try not to look at anything of his.

x(

[Hugin]

8. Well, I speak American...

It just happens to look alot like English.

How do English people manage without a word such as "alot"?

Don't get me started on the freakish use of "ou" in such words
as "flavour" and "colour"!

[tjwmason]

10. We just added the "u"s to irritate Americans.

They're French derived (as are most Latin words in English), and we realised that the only country on earth to hate the French more than we do are Americans so we stuck all of these extra "u"s in. This was a couple of hundred years before Europeans reached America of course. ;)

[Goblinmonger]

17. Of course

you have the French influence in your language because one of your shitty kings made French the national language. Imagine, having to give in to the French. :P

[tjwmason]

18. Our laws are still formally approved in French.

But the king in question wasn't French - he was Norman. :P

[Goblinmonger]

19. I don't remember King Norman

:rofl:

I remember all of this from my History of the English Language class. Plus I am right in the middle of reading History of English.

Yes. I am a nerd.

[tjwmason]

20. L.O.L.

The history of English is fascinating - not least because it was in the post-conquest marriage of Norman French with Germanic dervied Anglo-Saxon lead to a vocabulary far higher than most other languages. :D

Hurrah for linguistic nerds.

[tigereye]

21. I love British spellings!

they seem classier, for some reason. But then, I am an Anglophile.

[Mutley]

12. I don't mind the "ou" so much.

I think the "s" instead of a "z" is funny. I always giggle when I see billyskank or tj say realise. :P

[tjwmason]

13. Have you tried to get him to change hiz name to billyzkank?

That'z juzt the logical concluzion of the point zurely? :zhrug: :P

[Mutley]

14. Not yet.

But I'll be zure to bring it up the next time we zpeak. I'm zure he'll be thrilled at the idea.

Damnit! I forgot a z

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. Let's not forget all those Brits

who can't pronounce the letter 'b.'

"C?"

"Yes that's right. It's all due to a trauma I suffered when I was a sboolboy. I was attacked by a bat."

"A cat?"

"No, a bat."

"Can you say the letter 'K'?"

"Oh, yes — khaki, king, kettle, Kuwait, Keble Bollege Oxford."

"Why don't you say the letter 'K' instead of the letter 'C'?"

"What, you mean... spell 'bolour' with a K?"

"Yes."

"'Kolour.' Oh, that's very good. I never thought of that."