A second BBC Radio 4 series of Stephen Fry's witty and incisive programmes looking at the oddities of the English language. Includes four 30-minute Radio 4 programmes presented by Stephen Fry indulging his delight in the English language.
So Wrong It's Right - Stephen Fry examines how 'wrong' English can become right English, such as more people use the word 'wireless' in a computer context than in a radio one. With help from a lexicographer, an educationalist a Times Sub Editor and a judge, Fry examines the way usage changes language.
Speaking Proper - Stephen Fry looks at the changes in what we used to call 'elocution'.
Hello - Stephen Fry offers a 'sweetie' in the form of an investigation into the planet's most universally understood word.
The Joy of Gibberish - Stephen Fry investigates the phenomenon of gibberish - what it is, why we write and speak and sing it, and why we enjoy it so much. Words like awaopbopbaloobop awop bam bam and Bill and Ben's contemporary sounding catchphrase: blogalog.
As heard on Radio 4 during in August 2009.
©2009 Testbed Audio Ltd (P)2010 BBC Audiobooks Ltd
"An amusing way to spend a journey"
Funny, clever, curious
This series provides fascinating snippets about the English language in ways that are both down-to-earth and self-deprecatingly snobby. Fry points out the silliness of being precious about language rules when they are mostly arbitrary and always shifting. And yet, his audience (well, this little bit of it certainly) is no doubt quite picky about the position of the apostrophe. He chides us in a gentle, interesting and above all, amusing way. I listened to this audiobook on a rather boring car drive and found myself smiling frequently and occasionally even LOLling.