(quasi-)neologisms

[Mullins, Bill]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Benjamin Zimmer
> Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 2:29 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: (quasi-)neologisms
>

> >
> >This combines two framing devices for sarcastic rhetorical questions:
> >"Can we say 'X'?" and "X much?"  The form "Can we/you
> say...?" has been
> >around for quite a while, no doubt based on the pedantic patter of
> >kiddie-show hosts (the question sometimes has the vocative tag,
> >"...boys and girls?").
>
> Specifically, the late Fred Rogers was the source of the
> parody.  Robin Williams had a stand-up routine (recorded on
> the 1979 album _Reality...
> What A Concept_) spoofing "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood": "Can
> you say 'entropy'?  Nice try!"  I believe the _Bloom County_
> comic strip had a similar bit in the early '80s.  So by 1983
> or so, "Can you say...?" had become a general sarcastic
> putdown, quickly attaining cliche status:


Another usage is the 1977 National Lampoon album "That's Not Funny,
That's Sick".  One track, "Mr. Robert #2", has Christopher Guest (as
Rogers/Roberts) interviewing Bill Murry (as a bass musician).
Roberts:  Can you say Egg McMuffin?
Bass Player:  Egg a muffin.

This quote is from memory, so I may not have it right.  It may have
been:
Roberts:  I like how you say Egg McMuffin.

Either way, Rogers was being far too gentle with the Jazz musician for
the "can you say" to be a put down.

It was one of the funniest things ever committed to vinyl.