Sunday, April 15, 2007
Brought to You by the Letter I
You know how sometimes a situation just screams for a joke or a pun? It teases, it tantalizes, but you can't quite get there. One such situation that we probably all remember was when George Bush picked Dan Quayle as his running mate. A quail in the hand is worth two bushes ... no, ...a quail in the bushes ...oh darn, I give up. This was exactly how I felt when the following exchange took place between the Professor and me:
MM: You know, I think English is the only language in which the letter "I" is pronounced "eye".
Prof: How do they pronounce it in other languages?
MM: "Eee".
[Small contemplative silence.]
Prof: Then how do they pronounce "E"?
MM: Aaa.
Prof: So how do they pronounce "A"?
But, of course, there it fell apart, because I can think of no other language in which the letter "A" is pronounced as either "O" or "U", thereby ruining my opportunity to invent a who's- on - first type routine with vowels as the subject. Yes, I was teased, tantalized, and ultimately frustrated.
MM: You know, I think English is the only language in which the letter "I" is pronounced "eye".
Prof: How do they pronounce it in other languages?
MM: "Eee".
[Small contemplative silence.]
Prof: Then how do they pronounce "E"?
MM: Aaa.
Prof: So how do they pronounce "A"?
But, of course, there it fell apart, because I can think of no other language in which the letter "A" is pronounced as either "O" or "U", thereby ruining my opportunity to invent a who's- on - first type routine with vowels as the subject. Yes, I was teased, tantalized, and ultimately frustrated.
2 Comments:
You're worrying about this, aren't you? :).
Ages ago you asked me how near we were to London ... about a three or four hour drive, depending on weather conditions and the price of jam. Are you coming over? You'd be very welcome to visit if you are!
It was sounding a bit like "who's on first".
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