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Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography - Language

Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography - Language

Built By Matt
4 HN recommenders · discussed 2012–2025
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About this video

A kinetic typography animation set to Stephen Fry's spoken essay on language. Fry argues against grammar pedantry and for the way language evolves, including the verbing of nouns.

Why it appears in the archive

HN uses it as the go-to short piece against pedantry and for language change, recommended whenever grammar disputes come up.

AI-generated summary and labels from the source dataset; verify important details against the video. Source & credits.

From the Hacker News discussion

inlined · 2019-08 · strong rec

> the engines also focus heavily on metrics like sentence length, vocabulary, spelling, and subject-verb agreement... The systems are also unable to judge more nuanced aspects of writing, like creativity. This reminds me of a wonderful essay/speech by Stephen Fry on the harm done by pedantry. I also feel that schools focus so much on a single structure of essay writing and similarly take the joy out of language. [VIDEO]

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sethammons · 2021-03 · strong rec

Take ~6min to watch Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography - Language. It is my favorite take on changes in English and addresses verbing of nouns directly. [VIDEO]

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sethammons · 2022-04 · strong rec

> let them dumb down a language If you've not seen it, I highly encourage this 6 minute take by Stephen Fry on Language: [VIDEO] And besides, while you may be honing a blade or skill, my Homing Pigeon is homing in on home.

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skeuomorf · 2015-08 · rec

That was kinda my point, I was not nitpicking -relative OP's- grammatical usage, I just thought it was convenient to refer to the author in a more specific manner since his details were obvious. I had no idea whether their -relative OP- :) intention was to use "their" in a singular or plural manner. Heck, one of my favorite Stephen Fry videos [0] talks exactly about this! Also, the videos you referenced are great :) [0] [VIDEO]

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Arkhaine_kupo · 2022-08 · rec

While I tend to whinge at that kind of writing, I at the same time remind myself that Stephen Fry had a beauitful essay about how to use language, and how we can be wildly innovative with it. At the end of the day Shakespeare was the first to table a meeting and that must have sounded novel and too out there back then. Not everything will age well, but I would rather we try new things. [VIDEO]

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sethammons · 2025-07 · rec

On incorrect language use, I have long been a fan of Stephen Fry's take, with kinetic typography as a fun backdrop: [VIDEO] In short, context, convention, and circumstance are all. Long live the solitary octopi.

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scorpion032 · 2012-09 · reference

It's one of my own pet peeves to rightly use its spelling, having been a GrammarNazi myself for a long time. But I seem to have grown out of that: [VIDEO]

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Ygg2 · 2013-10 · reference

Sadly I left that part out of the original claim. My apologies for perhaps sounding condescending. Correction was imo: a) correct (was proven false by you) b) unnecessary - pedantry is only OK in strictly professional context, which I don't consider HN to be. This was omitted from original claim by my error ( [VIDEO] ). I really meant to thank you for correcting me there i.e. "Thanks for that input". It might have came of as sarcastic, but was not my intention. There is nothing (of value) to win/lose in a debate. In fact losing debate is more enlightening.

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