Art Scott <[log in to unmask]>

>Deryk Barker wrote: (transcribing Flanders & Swann's "A Song of
>Reproduction")
>
>>"With the tone control, at a single touch, Bel canto sounds like
>>double Dutch. The I never did care for music much, it;s the High
>>Fidelity."
>
>Having carefully listened to it again, I believe that should be,
>"bel canto sounds like Donald Dutch [Duck]"
>which makes more sense, and is funnier.

It's definitely _double Dutch_, a somewhat abusive British expression (also
used occasionally here) for the sound of other languages.  Supposedly Dutch
sounds incomprehensible to the average Brit; so _double Dutch_ sounds
like...  hi fi incomprehension, i guess.

Clearly hasn't reached the US, which no doubt has its own equivalent...
wasn't the term _barbarian_ originally derived from the alleged sound of
a foreign language?

All the best,

Robert Clements <[log in to unmask]>