Friday
(0)It's all been a bit solemn here at Samizdata of late, so here's an extremely silly final titbit from my Slovak holiday.
One of the oddities of Slovakia for the visiting Anglo is their rule of putting "ova" at the end of every non-Slovak female surname. Julia Robertsova. Meg Ryanova. Gwyneth Paltrowova. Odd, but you soon get used to it. One of these ovas did make me smile, however. The Harry Potter books are big in Slovakia, as everywhere, with all the same symptoms being displayed as in Britain. "When's the next one out?" say the kids. "Well at least they're reading something" say the elders. But consider what happens on all the book covers to the name of Harry Potter's creator J. K. Rowling.
Well, I liked it.
J.K. Rowlingova?
Let me draw a diagram:
x
HHH
HHHHH HHHHH
HHHHH
HHH
HHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHH
Maybe it's a British thing.
Posted by Robin Goodfellow at October 18, 2002 10:38 AM
HUMOUR........................? Humour indeed, you are aware there is a trade descriptions act in force in the UK? :)
Posted by Paul at October 18, 2002 11:20 AM
Robin, Paul: read it out loud... as in 'Rolling Over'.
I guess it must indeed be a 'British thing' cos I find it hilarious!
Posted by Perry de Havilland at October 18, 2002 11:39 AM
Hmm, note Robin's and Paul's attempts to be funny themselves...
It must be an 'American thing' to assume that just because they don't get it, it can't be funny. The joke is on them this time...
Posted by Adriana at October 18, 2002 11:57 AM
It must be a British thing cos I got it just fine... well, sort of British in a Irish sort of way
Posted by molly at October 18, 2002 04:59 PM
I think it's a matter of accent. Among my short list of friends, family, and aquaintances the o in her name is (probably incorrectly) pronounced to rhyme with cow not snow. Further, to at least some American ears, the "ova" entirely lacks the "r" sound in "over" I think I'd have got it if it weren't for the o thing though... I'll have to remember to read Samizdata with my best approximation of a british accent. John
Posted by John at October 18, 2002 05:02 PM
Since MommaBear speaks Anglish ™, she had absolutely no problem seeing the chuckle.
Posted by MommaBear at October 18, 2002 08:07 PM
OK, I get it. For some reason I had thought her name was pronounced 'rau-ling'.
Posted by Robin Goodfellow at October 18, 2002 09:38 PM
Nope I'm British (born in Cornwall) just ain't my idea of humour :)
Posted by Paul at October 19, 2002 10:33 AM
I forgot........I did get it, right away, just don't find it funny. (Don't find Ben Elton funny either).
Posted by Paul at October 19, 2002 03:51 PM
Heck, I'm a yank, and I got it right off the bat.
Was kinda funny, but not a coffee spewer...
Posted by Another John at October 23, 2002 10:48 AM
