Desbladet reminisces about a comedy sketch program called The Fast Show, on which one of the running gags was Channel Nine, presented "in a made-up language based mostly on the sound of Italian, with bits of Spanish" ("Republicca presente... totalla bien cantesta... C-h-a-n-e-l N-i-n-e!"). He quotes a very funny weather report and links to a complete script. Don't miss it.
Posted by languagehat at March 17, 2003 04:35 PMHi Language Hat,
I just launched a website with information about studying abroad. I was wondering if you might consider posting this on your site as a useful resource? The URL is :
www.learn-languages-abroad.co.uk and the site title is: Learn Languages Abroad
re 1 above: invasion of the adspots!
re Fast Show - another wonderful satire on the news employing twisted linguistics was The Day Today. Satire so vicious and accurate that it was often difficult to distinguish the spoof from the oh-so-serious "Newsnight" which came after it in the schedule. My favourite was the business news presenter, Collaterly Sisters, whose report was a long string of incomprehensible but plausible-sounding eco-jargon, and her "currency cat", which was a visual equivalent of the graphics accompanying tv economics reports. The writer/performer, Chris Morris, became a contraversial figure when some of his later projects publicly shafted establishment figures.
The Fast Show did a marvellous Channel Nine Eurotrash musical version of the nativity...
Scorchio!
The scripts of The Day Today are also available online: http://www.koekie.org.uk/funnel/tdt/index.html They should be read an over-important loud news anchorman's voice.
Posted by: Phil at March 24, 2003 06:15 AM