MONTY PYTHON-DEAD PARROT - English Class

Visitaci su:
http://englishclass.altervista.org
MONTY PYTHON
- THE PARROT SKETCH A pet shop. A customer comes in bearing a bird-cage.
CUSTOMER: Hello, I wish to register a complaint.
Nobody answers.
CUSTOMER: Hello, miss?
SHOP-OWNER: What do you mean, miss?
CUSTOMER: Oh, I’m sorry, I have a cold.
Recorded laughter.
CUSTOMER: I wish to make a complaint.
SHOP-OWNER: Sorry, we are closing for lunch.
CUSTOMER: Never mind it, my lad, I wish to complain about
this parrot what I purchased not half an hour ago from this very
boutique.
SHOP-OWNER: Oh, yes, the Norwegian blue. What’s wrong
with it?
COLD = come aggettivo significa “freddo”, mentre
come sostantivo –come appunto in questo casosignifica “raffreddore”. In inglese davanti a “COLD” si
mette l’articolo indeterminativo (a).
NEVER MIND (IT) = non si preoccupi
LAD = vocabolo anglo-scozzese che significa “ragazzo,
giovanotto”; “ragazza” si dice invece “LASS”.
HALF AN HOUR = mezz’ora; da notare l’articolo
indeterminativo tra l’aggettivo e il sostantivo.
VERY = come avverbio significa “molto”, ma come aggettivo
-come appunto in questo caso- significa “STESSO,
MEDESIMO, ESATTO”.
NORWEGIAN = norvegese; gli aggettivi di nazionalità, in
inglese sono sempre maiuscoli.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH = cosa c’è che non va con…
CUSTOMER: I’ll tell you what’s wrong with it. It’s DEAD,
that’s what’s wrong with it!
Recorded laughter.
IT = quando ci si riferisce ad animali, il pronome
utilizzato è il neutro “IT”, a meno che non si voglia
sottolineare il sesso esatto dell’animale.
IT’S DEAD = è morto. Utilizzando l’aggettivo “dead” al
posto dell’espressione IT DIED si vuole dare importanza
all’attuale stato del pappagallo e non all’azione del morire.
SHOP-OWNER: No, no, it’s resting. Look!
CUSTOMER: Look, my lad, I know a dead parrot when I see
one, and I am looking at one right now!
SHOP-OWNER: No, it’s not dead. It’s resting.
CUSTOMER: Resting?
SHOP-OWNER: Yeah. Remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue.
Beautiful plumage, ain’t it?
CUSTOMER: The plumage don’t enter into it. It’s stone-dead!
TO REST = è un false friend, perché non significa
“restare” ma “RIPOSARE”.
TO LOOK AT = guardare. Il verbo non è transitivo
come in italiano, regge la preposizione “at”.
AIN’T IT = “ain’t’” sostituisce in questo caso “isn’t”.
ENTER = “entrare”, ma in questo caso significa
“c’entrare”.
STONE-DEAD = letteralmente “morto come una pietra”,
cioè “MORTO STECCHITO”.
Recorded laughter.
SHOP ASSISTANT: No, no, it’s resting!
CUSTOMER: Alright, then. If it’s resting I’ll wake it up!
(Shouting to the dead parrot in the cage) HELLO, POLLY! I
GOT A NICE CUTTLEFISH FOR YOU WHEN YOU WAKE UP,
POLLY PARROT!
The shop-assistant moves the cage.
SHOP-OWNER: There, it moved.
CUSTOMER: No, it didn’t.
Recorded laughter.
THERE = ecco (letteralmente significa “là”); con lo
stesso significato viene utilizzato anche “HERE”.
IT DIDN’T = sottinteso “move”.
CUSTOMER: That was you pushing the cage!
Recorded laughter.
SHOP-OWNER: I did not!
YOU PUSHING = notare la forma in “-ing” che
sostituisce la proposizione relativa.
I DID NOT = il verbo è nuovamente sottinteso.
CUSTOMER: Yes, you did! (Shouting to the dead parrot)
HELLO POLLY! POOOOLLYYYYY!!!!! (He beats the parrot on
the desk) POLLY PARROT, WAKE UP!!!!! POLLYYYY!!!!
The parrot falls down the floor.
CUSTOMER: Now that’s what I call a dead parrot.
Recorded laughter.
SHOP-OWNER: No, no, it’s stunned!
CUSTOMER: Look, my lad, I’ve had just about enough of this.
That parrot is definitely deceased. And when I bought it not
half an hour ago you assured me that its lack of movement was
due to it being tired and shagged out after a long squawk.
SHOP-OWNER: No, sir, it’s probably pining for the fjords.
CUSTOMER: Pining for the fjords???? What kind of talk is
that? Look, why did it fall flat on its back the moment I got it
home?
SHOP-OWNER: The Norwegian blue prefers kipping on its
back! It’s a beautiful bird, lovely plumage.
CUSTOMER: Look, I took the liberty of examining that parrot.
And I discovered that the only reason that it had been sitting on
its perch in the first place was it had been nailed there.
I’VE HAD JUST… OF THIS = “ne ho proprio abbastanza”
Altre espressioni utilizzate per esprimere lo stesso concetto
sono: I HAD IT o THAT’S ENOUGH.
DECEASED = deceduto
TALK = “discorso”. Il verbo “TO TALK”, significa infatti
“parlare, conversare”.
GOT IT HOME = notare che “home” non è mai preceduto
da “TO” nel complemento di moto a luogo.
PREFERS KIPPING = il verbo “prefer” è seguito dalla
forma in –ing anziché da “to+ verbo”. Sono però possibili
entrambe le forme.
I TOOK THE LIBERTY OF = mi sono preso la libertà di
DISCOVERED = fatto la scoperta; “scoprire” si dice più
propriamente “find out”.
Recorded laughter.
SHOP-OWNER: Of course it was nailed there, otherwise he
would muscle out of those bars and “voom”!
OTHERWISE = altrimenti
MUSCLE OUT = forzato/uscire o entrare a forza (da
“MUSCLE” = muscolo).
CUSTOMER: Look, matey....
Recorded laughter.
CUSTOMER: ...this parrot wouldn’t “voom” if I put four
thousand Volts through it. It’s bleeding demised.
SHOP-OWNER: It’s not!!! It’s pining!
CUSTOMER: It’s not pining, it’s passed on! This parrot is NO
MORE! It has ceased to be!!! It’s expired and gone to meet its
Maker! THIS IS A LATE PARROT! IT’S A STIFF!
VOOM = in inglese è molto più frequente che in italiano
utilizzare i suoni per sostituire parole e verbi, specie nel
linguaggio familiare/colloquiale. In questo caso un suono
sostituisce un verbo.
PASSED ON = altro modo per dire “deceduto”;
letteralmente “passato oltre”.
LATE = defunto; “LATE” significa anche “TARDI”.
Recorded laughter.
The customer drops the parrot on the floor again.
CUSTOMER: ....Bereft of life, he rests in peace!!! If you hadn’t
nailed it to that perch it would be pushing up the daisies! It’s
rung down the curtain and joined the choir invisible! This is an
EX parrot!!!
WOULD BE… DAISIES = frase fatta che significa
“andrebbe a concimare le margherite”.
CHOIR INVISIBLE = cioè i fantasmi.
Recorded laughter.
SHOP-OWNER: Well, I’d better replace it then!
Recorded laughter.
CUSTOMER: (To the audience) If you want to get anything
done in this country you’ve got to complain until you’re blue in
the mouth!
I’D BETTER
idiomatica).
=
farei
meglio
a…
(espressione
GET ANYTHING DONE = letteralmente “ottenere qualcosa
fatto”.
YOU’VE GOT = sostituisce “MUST”. La differenza tra le due
espressioni è spiegata nella grammatica:
http://www.englishclass.altervista.org/verbimodali.html
Recorded laughter.
SHOP-OWNER: Sorry, guv, we’re right out of parrots.
RIGHT OUT OF = rimanere senza/finire
CUSTOMER: I see, I see. I get the picture.
SHOP-OWNER: I got a slug.
Recorded laughter.
CUSTOMER: Does it talk?
SHOP-OWNER: Not really, no.
CUSTOMER: Well, it’s scarce a replacement then, isn’t it?
SHOP-OWNER: Listen, I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you what. If
you go to my brother’s pet-shop in Bolton, he’ll replace your
parrot for ya.
He gives the customer a ticket.
CUSTOMER: Bolton, eh?
SHOP-OWNER: Yeah.
CUSTOMER: Alright.
The customer gets out of the shop.
Some time later: a similar shop in Bolton. The customer comes
in. The shop owner is exactly the same of the other shop, but
now he wears a pair of moustaches. The customer looks at him
with surprise.
NOT REALLY = espressione che traduce “non esattamente/
non proprio”.
SCARSE A REPLACEMENT = l’articolo “a” dà alla frase il
senso “scarso come rimpiazzo”.
I’LL TELL YOU WHAT = frase idiomatica che traduce “mi
ascolti, ora le spiego, ora le dico una cosa”.
YA = forma familiare/colloquiale per “YOU”.
CUSTOMER: Excuse me....this is Bolton, is it?
SHOP-ASSISTANT: No, it’s...it’s Ipswich.
CUSTOMER: (To the audience) That’s Intercity rail for you!
He gets out of the shop.
At the station, complaint service. An officer waits.
CUSTOMER: I wish to make a complaint.
OFFICER: I don’t have to do this, you know!
CUSTOMER: I beg you pardon?
OFFICER: I’m a qualified brain surgeon! I only do this ‘cause I
like being me own boss!
YOU KNOW = sa.
ME = forma dialettale britannica che sostituisce
“MY”.
CUSTOMER: Excuse me, this is irrelevant, isn’t it?
OFFICER: Oh, yes, it’s not easy to pad these out to thirty
minutes!
TO PAD = riempire, imbottire
Recorded laughter.
CUSTOMER: Well, I wish to make a complaint! I got on the
Bolton train and I found myself deposited here in Ipswich.
OFFICER: No, this is Bolton.
CUSTOMER: (To the audience) The pet-shop owner’s brother
was lying.
OFFICER: Well, you can’t blame British Rail for that! Eh, eh,
eh...
PET SHOP… BROTHER = notare l’uso del saxon
genitive
CUSTOMER: If this is Bolton, I shall return to the pet-shop!
SHALL = sostituisce “will” in alcuni casi
nella prima persona singolare o plurale.
Recorded laughter.
Back to the pet-shop in Bolton, some time later. The customer
gets in.
CUSTUMER: I understand that this is Bolton.
SHOP-OWNER: Yeah?
I UNDERSTAND = espressione che in italiano può
essere tradotta più propriamente come “so che…”,
oppure “dunque….”
CUSTOMER: Well, you told me it was Ipswich.
SHOP-OWNER: It was a pun.
Recorded laughter.
CUSTOMER: A pun?
SHOP-OWNER: No, no, not a pun. What’s the other thing?
Which reads the same backwards as forwards?
READS = sottinteso “it”.
CUSTOMER: A palindrome?
SHOP-ASSISTANT: Yeah, yeah.
CUSTOMER: It’s not a palindrome! The palindrome of Bolton
would be Notlob!!!
Recorded laughter.
CUSTOMER: It don’t work!
Recorded laughter.
TO WORK = “lavorare”, ma in questo caso
significa “funzionare”.
SHOP-OWNER: Now, what do you want?
CUSTOMER: No, I’m sorry! I’m not prepared to pursue my
line of inquiry any further. This is getting too silly!
A british soldier gets into the shop.
SOLDIER: Quite agree, quite agree. Silly, silly, silly! Right! Get
on with it! GET ON WITH IT!
THE END.
Visitaci su:
http://englishclass.altervista.org
ANY FURTHER = più a lungo/ oltre
TO GET = in questo caso significa “diventare”; altri verbi per
tradurre “diventare “ sono “TO BECOME”, “TO TURN” o “TO
GROW”. L’argomento è approfondito nella pagina delle lezioni:
http://www.englishclass.altervista.org/lezioni-diinglese.html
(Lezione n°24)
QUITE AGREE = ben d’accordo (da “TO AGREE” = essere
d’accordo).