some phrases

[brionon]

What does ''Cover Version'' mean and Why ?
Why is it thought of as Rascist to say ''Some of my best friends are Black''.
Why 'PH' instead of 'F'. {I know it's Phrom the Greek but isn't it silly?}

[Quizmonkey]

"Some of my best friends..." is often said by people who think they're being really liberal and right-on, but are actually saying one of the most offensive things imaginable. If you can't see why, try thinking what might make a person say this; what his standpoint towards blacks etc must be, the unsaid assumptions that go with the statement. If you're still puzzled, swap 'black' for 'left-handed' and see what offensive nonsense that would be.

[jno]

some of my best friends are left-handed, and it doesn't sound too awful to say so. It's not actually racist, but it's something sometimes said by racists trying to cover up for themselves, which gives it a suspicious air.

Lots of letters double up in English, often because they come from different languages. (C, for instance, can be S or K; CH can be K or SH or TCH.) Just shows how widely our language casts its net.

[Quizmonkey]

It's your MOTIVATION for actually saying it that's the issue - not the fact behind it. And the psychology behind it is more complex than "covering up for t hemselves".

[jno]

doubtless... Darrell Hair says he used to play with aborigines when he was a kid. That actually is quite unusual for Australians. But whether it means he is or isn't a racist, I haven't a clue.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/***************200 6/story/0,,1869445,00.html

[jno]

hm. let's try that again. sorry, brionon

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/***************200 6/story/0,,1869445,00.html

[Champagne]

Quizmonkey, I think what you're trying to say is that people who don't distinguish others by colour or creed would never have the need to say such a thing, hence it being a racist comment in itself. Is that about right?

'Cover Version' means a song that has been previously recorded or made popular by another. It's a term which is given just like any other term. Probably because so many untalented pop wannabes came on the scene and stole other artist's songs, so they had to come up with a name for it!

And I agree with the 'ph' being silly. And why oh why is Phonetics spelt with a 'ph'?? Us Brits are nuts.

[jno]

mysterious. The asterisks should read *************** if anyone wants to type it all in. But why can't I either cut and paste, or type out, a simple link?

[jno]

from answers.com:

While it is all but impossible to trace the actual history of the term "cover version," it is likely the term began to be used by record collectors once the early rock'n'roll records had become collectible. The actual term "cover" may have its origins in the fact that the artist who recorded the newer version of the song would have his records literally "cover" the original version in the sales racks.

[Quizmonkey]

Champagne - that's a nice summing-up (sort of!) - one of those things where you know precisely what you mean but it's difficult to express it clearly.

jno - try using a digit or two in that word...

[jno]

yes, Quizmonkey, the penny has dropped; it's englandpa6kistan without the number... for heaven's sake, can't I even post the name of the country because the first four letters are used nastily? Well, I won't try.

[Quizmonkey]

Jno - I remember Scunthorpe having that problem with their tourist attraction website...

[brionon]

Surely Champagne means to ''Pretend hurt''. ?

[brionon]

Can this mean that Sinatra, Crosby and Louis were only Coverers ?

[Quizmonkey]

or even fake-ache...

[Peter Pedant]

PH
when a Greek p (pi) runs up against an h - that's a rough breathing but so what, it became a phi [ that is the o with a line through it]

and the phi is an f sound

Later we were told that ph might have been pronounced puh huh, and theta, th, as tuh huh
and you know in a word like ophthalmos or the verb for destroy - diaphtheiro, I mean it is a hell of a mouthful . You try it !
No wonder they say ph as an f.

PP

[rojash]

Of course, there is not (and never was) an "h" in the Greek alphabet.

In Ancient Greek, words starting with a vowel or an "r" had a special sign called a breathing mark. This looked like an apostrophe and was positioned over the first letter. A right-facing mark (like a backwards 9) was called a 'rough breathing mark' and indicated that there was a 'h' sound *before* the vowel.