English is the Weirdest Language | Tarang Hardikar | Stand Up Comedy

Summary

The speaker humorously reflects on life in Bombay, highlighting the importance of laughter and sharing anecdotes about auto rides and the peculiarities of local place names like 'Linking Road.' They delve into their childhood admiration for conformity, illustrating it with a classroom scenario. The script humorously critiques the English language's inconsistencies, such as the evolution of 'I have drunk' to 'I am drunk,' and questions the logic behind certain words like 'here.' The speaker's comedic storytelling style engages the audience, providing a light-hearted commentary on everyday language and life.

Takeaways

• 😄 The importance of laughter is emphasized, suggesting that not laughing can lead to negative outcomes.
• 🚗 A humorous anecdote about an autorickshaw ride in Bombay illustrates the cultural significance of humor in conversation.
• 🏠 The speaker humorously questions the name 'Linking Road', pointing out the literal nature of road names.
• 👦 A reflection on childhood and the desire to impress others, including the behavior of raising hands in class only after others have.
• 📚 Criticism of traditional English teaching methods, particularly the order in which letters and words are taught.
• 🍺 A comedic take on the English language's contradictions, such as the phrase 'I am drunk'.
• 💧 The word 'waterfall' is highlighted as a favorite for its simplicity and directness in describing the phenomenon.
• 🗣️ The speaker argues that the word 'here' is useless because it provides no new information and can be replaced with any sound.
• 🏢 A story about giving directions using 'here' leads to a humorous exaggeration of a tragic outcome.
• 🌆 The concept of 'here' is explored philosophically, suggesting that it travels with the speaker and is always relative to one's current location.

Q & A

What is the importance of laughter according to the speaker?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of laughter by sharing an anecdote about an auto ride in Bombay, suggesting that not laughing can lead to awkward or negative situations.

What is the significance of the place called 'Bandra Tala' in the speaker's story?

Bandra Tala is mentioned as the place where the speaker took an auto ride, which led to a realization about the importance of laughter in social interactions.

Why does the speaker find the name 'Linking Road' amusing?

The speaker finds 'Linking Road' amusing because it is a literal name for a road, and he humorously questions what other functions a road might have besides linking, suggesting the redundancy of the name.

What is the speaker's childhood mentality that he discusses?

The speaker talks about his childhood mentality of always wanting to impress people and how he was influenced by the behavior of others, such as only raising his hand in class when most others did.

Why did the speaker dislike the way English was taught in school?

The speaker disliked the way English was taught because it started with teaching letters in a confusing manner, like 'A for Apple' before students knew the spelling of 'Apple', which he found to be a poor teaching method.

What is the speaker's opinion on the English language's grammar?

The speaker humorously points out the contradictions in English grammar, such as the use of 'I am drunk' instead of 'I have drunk', suggesting that the language is inconsistent and sometimes nonsensical.

What does the speaker consider the most useless word in the English language?

The speaker considers the word 'here' to be the most useless in the English language because it does not convey any new information and can be replaced with any sound without changing the meaning of a sentence.

How does the speaker use humor to illustrate the futility of the word 'here'?

The speaker uses humor by creating scenarios where the use of 'here' leads to confusion or accidents, suggesting that not using 'here' could potentially save lives by avoiding misunderstandings.

What is the speaker's view on the concept of 'here' and its relation to life's journey?

The speaker views 'here' as a concept that travels with people, suggesting that life is a journey between 'here' and 'almost there', and that people often fail to realize they are already 'here'.

Why does the speaker say he hated school and wrote an album called 'School Not So Cool'?

The speaker hated school because of his negative experiences and the way subjects were taught, which he found uncool and confusing, leading him to express his feelings through an album with songs that criticize the educational system.

Outlines

00:00

😄 Importance of Laughter in Bombay

The speaker humorously reflects on their experiences living in Bombay, emphasizing the significance of laughter in daily life. They recount a particular incident involving an auto-rickshaw ride where a lack of laughter led to an awkward and prolonged conversation. The speaker also pokes fun at the name 'Linking Road', questioning its literal purpose and humorously suggesting other absurd road names like 'Cooking Road'. They further discuss their childhood desire to impress others and the collective mentality of audiences, where they would only clap if others did, illustrating this with a light-hearted anecdote about raising hands in class.

05:05

😅 The Confusing Journey of Learning English

The speaker delves into the peculiarities of learning English, particularly the unconventional way in which letters were taught. They humorously critique the method of associating 'A' with 'apple' before students even knew how to spell 'apple'. They continue by satirizing the teaching of words and grammar, pointing out the contradictions in English usage, such as the phrase 'I am drunk'. The speaker uses humor to highlight the absurdity of certain English expressions and the nonsensical nature of some language conventions, like the word 'waterfall', and ends with a critique of the word 'here', arguing its uselessness and potential for confusion.

10:08

😓 The Uselessness of the Word 'Here'

The speaker explores the futility of the word 'here' in the English language, using personal anecdotes to illustrate its lack of communicative value. They describe a scenario where using 'here' fails to convey any useful information, leading to a comedic misunderstanding. The speaker also humorously suggests that 'here' serves as mere background noise to actions rather than a meaningful word. They provide contrasting scenarios to demonstrate how the absence of 'here' can prevent accidents and misunderstandings, concluding with a broader philosophical point about the concept of 'here' and its relation to our perception of presence and location.

15:08

😔 The Frustration with School and Teaching Methods

The speaker expresses their dislike for school, particularly the teaching methods they experienced. They recount their struggles with English and the seemingly random way subjects were taught, using humor to critique the educational system. They mention a song from their album 'School Not So Cool', which contains satirical lyrics about teachers and subjects, highlighting their dissatisfaction with traditional schooling. The speaker uses this platform to voice their opinion on the need for a more logical and engaging approach to education.

Keywords

💡Laughter

Laughter is a natural expression of joy or amusement, and in the context of the video, it is highlighted as a vital element for maintaining a positive outlook and avoiding negative situations. The speaker humorously suggests that not laughing during an auto ride led to an uncomfortable conversation, illustrating how laughter can defuse tension and improve social interactions.

💡Bandra Tala

Bandra Tala is a location in Mumbai, India, mentioned in the script to provide a personal anecdote about the importance of laughter. It serves as a setting for the story and helps to ground the narrative in a relatable place, making the audience feel more connected to the speaker's experiences.

💡Linking Road

Linking Road is another place in Mumbai, used by the speaker to make a humorous observation about the literal nature of street names. The speaker questions the creativity of naming a road that 'links' places, suggesting a preference for more imaginative or descriptive names. This keyword showcases the speaker's wit and ability to find humor in everyday life.

💡Impressing People

Impressing people refers to the desire to make a positive impact on others, often by showcasing one's abilities or achievements. The speaker confesses to being someone who has always wanted to impress others, which is a relatable sentiment that many viewers might share. This keyword is used to introduce the theme of social validation and the pressures of meeting others' expectations.

💡Her Mentality

Her Mentality is a concept introduced by the speaker to describe the tendency to wait for others' approval before acting. It is exemplified by the behavior of waiting for others to clap first during a show. This keyword is used to critique social conformity and to encourage individuality.

💡English Language

The English Language is the medium through which the speaker communicates his anecdotes and humor. The speaker criticizes the way English is taught, particularly the arbitrary association of letters with words before teaching spelling. This keyword is central to the video's theme of questioning established norms and practices.

💡Drunk

Drunk is used in the script to describe the state of being intoxicated by alcohol. The speaker humorously points out the peculiarity of saying 'I am drunk' instead of 'I have drunk', suggesting that English grammar sometimes contradicts itself. This keyword is part of the broader commentary on the inconsistencies and quirks of the English language.

💡Waterfall

Waterfall is a word that the speaker finds particularly beautiful and descriptive. It is used to contrast with the confusing way English language teaching starts with letters and then moves to words, suggesting that some words are more intuitive and direct than others. This keyword serves to highlight the speaker's appreciation for language and its capacity to convey clear images.

💡Here

The word 'here' is identified as the 'most useless word' in the English language by the speaker. He argues that 'here' provides no new information and can be replaced with any sound without changing the meaning of a sentence. This keyword is central to a comedic critique of certain words that may lack utility or clarity in communication.

💡School

School is a recurring theme in the script, where the speaker expresses his dislike for traditional methods of education. He criticizes the teaching of English letters before words and the lack of practical application in learning grammar. This keyword is used to explore the frustrations many students might feel with the educational system and to advocate for a more engaging and logical approach to learning.

Highlights

The importance of laughter in Bombay culture is emphasized to prevent bad things from happening.

A humorous anecdote about an auto-ride in Bombay where not laughing led to an awkward conversation.

The speaker humorously critiques the name 'Linking Road' and suggests other literal road names.

A reflection on the desire to impress people from childhood, including a funny story about clapping.

A critique of the teaching methods for English in schools, particularly the order of learning letters.

A comedic take on the English language's contradictions, such as the use of 'I am drunk'.

The speaker humorously argues that 'waterfall' is a beautiful word due to its simplicity and directness.

A discussion on the most useless word in English, 'here', with examples of how it fails to convey information.

A comedic scenario illustrating the confusion caused by the word 'here' during a robbery.

The speaker suggests that 'here' is a useless word because it requires an action to be meaningful.

A humorous example of how not using 'here' could have saved a life in a road trip scenario.

The concept of 'here' being relative and always traveling with a person is explored with humor.

The speaker's frustration with the phrase 'we are here' during road trips, suggesting it's always used regardless of location.

A critique of the educational system through a song called 'school not so cool'.

A humorous take on the difficulty of history lessons, where the teacher's explanations remain a mystery.

Transcripts

weird but I live in Bombay and uh when I

lived in Bombay I've realized the

importance of

laughter if you don't laugh then bad

things can happen yeah I stay in this

place called bandra tala okay near this

place I took an auto I was going back

from a show like this I took an auto I

told

him was like

okay and I didn't

laugh and that was the worst

mistake I could ever make because then

the entire Auto ride he was like

man he continued the

conversation he was like

joke electrical

engineer that's when I realized I just

laughed nothing would have happened it's

a bad thing I stay near this place

called linking Road that's the name of

the road

linking

linking

Road tell me one thing tell me one thing

what else is a road supposed to

do other than

linking has anybody seen any anyone has

seen any lead astray

roads next they'll make a new road

called a car driving

Road next from the name makers of

linking Road uh cooking

cooker got it right

you know and uh ever since my childhood

I've always wanted to impress people you

know yeah all the time all the time I've

been trying to do that I'm a I'm a huge

fan in my childhood I'm a huge fan of

her

mentality

yeah some of you are right now also I

can see even right now when some of you

are clapping you'll always wait for

other people to clap

first you'll always be

like every show every show there's

always one person in the audience who go

like he did it

actually I'm a huge of her mentality big

Aid

believer any fans of any believers in

her mentality don't raise your

[Music]

hand oh everyone that's great

that's just like me I'm a huge believer

anytime in class anybody would ask me a

question I will only raise my hand if

majority of the people that are behind

me are also raising their hands and I

will only raise my hand exactly up to

the average

height of all the other hands just this

much the question can be anything like

how many of you have kids raise your

hands do we have

kids do we have one kid two kid three

kid I have have 2.5 kids you all have

2.5 it's a joint

family we live together and yeah school

was confusing man because I hated I

hated English especially yeah cuz

remember how they taught us English

first thing they taught us was

letters horrible way yeah first thing

they said was a for

apple when we didn't even know the

spelling of Apple

yet we had just come to know about a

forget

BBL it's like if somebody's teaching you

numbers and like okay start like okay 1

for 57us

56 a baby is growing up like hey what is

Mama Mama uh you know family tree

second left from

right weird right teacher would write

from the board she would be like a for

apple and then one child be like ma'am

what is p uh that is uh coming

soon let's not talk about it right now

moving on moving on B for ball ball

spelling

B A has made a comeback

[Music]

and uh L one of the mysteries of

Apple C for cat cat spelling c a a

household name at this

point and T forget T won't even learn te

this

year let's just talk about what we know

by the time teacher used to get to

teaching P4 be like ma'am we know for

Apple

only this is

revision you know understand then after

that then they had the

audacity to then teach us

words like we learned half of them in

letters then they are saying for is a

conjunction where was this when you were

saying a for

what is this Christopher Nolan way of

teaching student shouldn't go to school

and be like oh good

reveal now I'm understanding first

standard maybe I'll understand second in

engineering horrible way man and then we

just kept going they taught us grammar

but we don't follow it now

you know like even while saying English

only contradicts itself sometimes when

you get drunk all of you get

drunk yeah yeah when you get drunk you

say I am

drunk is weird right we were saying

things like I have

drunk I am

drinking I don't know how we got to I am

drunk

[Music]

see I

think I think the first guy who said it

was

drunk he wanted to say I have drunk he

said I am drunk and his friends were

also drunk so I was like oh he's on to

something and it caught on cuz it it

kind of makes sense it kind of makes

sense see when you are drinking

something like water or juice you are

simply doing the action

but when you are drinking alcohol you

are the

action hi my name is Tang hi I am

drunk I am the process of drinking

liquid in the

past nice to meet you such a beautiful

phrase right such a beautiful phrase

describes the person see see I'll show

you see you drink you drink you drink

you drink you drink you drink and then

you are

drunk have you ever done something so

much that you become the past tense of

that

activity yesterday I was running so much

I think I am

ran I am so

ran I'm totally ran right now

can't even tell you how ran I

am I am

drunk something things are nice you know

like waterfall is my favorite

word beautiful

word what a simple direct way to

describe that

activity you don't need to teach it

waterfall meaning

waterfall very direct also it kind of

makes it seem like water did not mean

to like water go water

forward unfortunately

waterfall then water

die water body

but I today I want to tell you about the

most useless word in the English

language the most useless word and this

this word called

here h e r e here it's the most useless

word I called my friend home yesterday

he went somewhere else from there he's

calling me he's saying I am

here I said I am also

here and we exchange zero information

see here here has a very unique

problem okay see people who want to know

where here is don't understand it but

the people who understand here are

already

here I'll explain see

see like if you go to your house you see

there's a robbery happening you call the

police be like hello police like yes

there is a robbery well

here the police will have no idea but

the robbers in your house would be like

I get what he's

saying

here they snatched the phone from you

like and do you understand

here here like hello is this the Robert

oh

sorry

hello

hello are you there yeah I am here

that's the

problem that's the problem actually it's

the most useless word most see every

time you say here you have to do an

action along with it otherwise it

doesn't make sense like where do I keep

this here

you can't be like where do I keep this

here and my point is you could have just

done this and he would have

understood so you just say here so that

your mouth doesn't feel

lonely while doing this it's more of a

background music to your action

here you can replace it with any sound

doesn't matter you know like where do I

keep this

time still makes sense still makes sense

right such a useless word see I'll tell

you why because it is also a little bit

insulting to the person who was asked

the question when you say here yeah

because it makes the question look

bad every time the answer of a question

is here the question is 100%

stupid 100% where were we going here I

should have

known where is the forest here I should

have

seen you know it's very I'll okay I'll

show you two scenarios okay I'll give

you two scenarios and one time I will

use here one time I won't use here and

you tell me if there is a

difference okay so I live in this place

uh called Midori Towers okay it's a

three story apartment

Towers plural Towers

anyway I was stepping outside Midori

Towers okay and it's this much only

actually it's

Bombay I was I was stepping outside

Midori Towers okay and then a guy comes

in okay so this is the guy he looks very

much like me but he's he's not he's

different

[Music]

guy a guy comes in and he's like where

is Midori Towers I'm like here he like

I'm so sorry man I asked I should have

seen I should have seen he gets

depressed yeah I couldn't save him car

came and hit

him that was exaggeration but something

similar happened I mean and now I'll

will show you second scene second scene

okay I'm getting out of Midori

Towers guy comes

in where is Midori tow

oh thank you for your silence random man

then he goes to Midori Tower car misses

him he's alive

today not using ha saves lives this is

what I'm trying to

say okay if you want to move on we'll

move on

okay let's talk about the city the city

how many of you are from

here you understood this question right

you understood they didn't understand

that's the problem this camera people

didn't understand people on YouTube they

don't get

it oh

yeah a man horrible I some people don't

understand about is that here travels

with

you right see if you are here right now

you go over

there you look down you will be here

again that's the problem people don't

get it they go on road trips you know

those road trip people after they've

reached the destination the driver looks

back

he says we are

here and here's my point he could have

said it anywhere along the

way and it would have still made sense

in fact when you were starting the road

trip you could have been like 3 2 1

everybody excited okay we are

here like you are correct but you are

not my friend

anymore this is a big problem sometimes

people are like we are almost there you

are always almost

there no matter where you are you are

almost there life is between here and

almost

there yeah all all of us trying to go

there don't realize we are already

here I was not just joking when I said I

hated school because like I have that

album I wrote called school not so cool

which had songs like oh that teach

teacher teacher scary creature why no

understand and subjects some rhymes like

no not history cuz what the teacher is

talking about is still a mystery

[Music]