Talk:Knights who say Ni

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Knights who say Ni is part of WikiProject King Arthur, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to King Arthur, the Arthurian era and related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.
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[edit] Old Discussions

Ni! JIP | Talk 14:07, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

Hmm. The page linked to from the first external link insists that they actually became the Knights Who Say 'Ecky-ecky-ecky-ecky-pikang-zoop-boing-goodem-zu-owly-zhiv'. -- Oliver P. 03:25 May 7, 2003 (UTC)

Oh come on. What utter piffle. They became the Knights Who Say 'Ecky Ecky Ecky Ecky F'Tang Zooboing 'n Zowie'. Gritchka (Ni!) (Sh! - Gritchka)

And the transript cited here says it's actually "Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-z'Bang, zoom-Boing, z'nourrrwringmm". --L33tminion (talk) 05:48, May 23, 2005 (UTC)

As any fool can plainly hear, it's Icky icky icky f'tang niiuwom nyaoum. —Tamfang 06:31, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

Am I the only one who finds the statement, "The unspellable saying could be spelled this way", somewhat self-contradictory? - AdelaMae (talk - contribs) 19:36, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

I'd say Ph'Tang or F'Tang would be the correct spelling, because this was also used as one of the names for the "Silly Candidates" in the Monty Python election sketches, and it was one of Graham Chapman's favourite nonsense/gibberish words. He probably came up with this string of syllables as well. --NorkNork 23:30, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

Hey guys, i just watched the film again last night, oddly enough the caption Says it is "Ekka Ekka Ekka..." is this a change, a mistake or simply a waste of time? lol -Anroth

Closed captioning? Not reliable. Especially with gibberish. PrometheusX303 11:30, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Error?

The Knights are led by a man who is approximately 12 foot tall (Michael Palin standing on John Cleese)

On one of the commentaries on the special DVD edition, I remember one of the cast members saying that it was Michael Palin standing on a ladder, not John Cleese.--Lucky13pjn 14:22, Oct 5, 2004 (UTC)

[edit] The T-V distinction in Swedish?

Is there any evidence at all that the knights' saying "Ni" has anything at all to do with the T-V distinction in Swedish? --Angr/tɔk tə mi 20:57, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

Seems far-fetched to me. The Pythons were pretty smart chaps, but that seems a bit obscure for them. I'm sure it's just a nonsense syllable chosen for its absurdity and alliteration with "Knights." You can call me Al 12:22, 27 October 2005 (UTC)
What makes it mildly plausible to me is that I've heard that in Norway circa 1970 there was a campaign to stamp out the pronoun Ni (which had become offensive to some), complete with badges declaring "I don't say Ni!". —Tamfang 06:28, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

According to The pythons on the DVD Palin knicked it from some american Radioshow.

The radio show was known as: The Goon Show.DoctorWho42 04:56, 3 December 2005 (UTC)

I heard that the joke was related to Germanic. In West Germanic "ni" means "not", at least in many medieval dialects. But in North Germanic, "ikke" or "ekke" means "not". So the joke may be making fun somewhat of England's linguistic past (West and North Germanic), whether or not the idea derives from another show. Oh well, that's what I heard, anyway.

Thankfully the sociolinguists' jargon has been excised from the article in the reference to the Swedish word Ni. I still feel that it needs a citation tag, since this is the first place I've seen the claim. Flagboy 11:49, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Sacred Words

The article has them as "Ni", "Ping" and "Nu-whomp" while I've also seen 'Peng', and 'Neee-wom' PrometheusX303 01:55, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

It sounds more like "Neee-wom" to me. - Image:Ottawa flag.png nathanrdotcom (T • C • W) 05:04, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

Yeah. I've always heard it as "Neee-wom" as well. Luca 02:52 PM March 19, 2006 (EST)

I always heard "nuu-wom". 69.221.228.19 21:31, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ni?

they utter the word "ni" (pronounced [ni]).

Couldn't someone put a better pronunciation guide than just writing the word over? David Duchovny 07:11, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

That is hilarious. IPA yo. Blindsuperhero 23:18, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] It

Something confuses me about the two scenes in which the Knights who say Ni appear, in both scenes the word it is said but the knights are uneffected. In the first scene Arthur asks them "What is it you want?" and in the second scene the head knight says "It is a good shrubbery, I like the laurels particularly."

Hey. It's Monty Python. It's not Monty Perfect. You'd blow a gasket if you tried to anylise their work. Prometheus-X303- 23:22, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Neesh

Here's a bit o' trivia, prolly too obscure for the article, but something you might enjoy.

In the 80s, guitarist Mike Stern came out with an album called Neesh. In an interview in Guitar Player Magazine, he was asked what "Neesh" meant. Stern said that, since he was a Monty Python fan, he named the album after the "Knights who say Neesh."

The interviewer was kind enough not to point out the error. --K

[edit] Spamalot

The passage says Rick James bitch, though a friend of mine distinctly remembers Peanut Butter Jelly Time being the new phrase, though he saw it in Toronto? Is it different by venue, or simply random or what? --Mattgcn 17:35, 20 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reference to the movie from Legend of the Green Dragon

You grab your axe to attack a tree with all your strength.

As you approach a tree, you are suddenly surrounded!

You fall to the ground paralyzed as a group of towering knights start shouting at you in a menacing tone!

'NI! NI! NI!'

However, you recover soon enough to realize that in actuality, they are more annoying than dangerous.

For some odd reason, you pick up a herring and chop down one of the trees in the forest.

You harness the power of 'NI' to attack other creatures!

You've completed Phase 1 of work in the lumber yard. It only took you one turn.

it also gives you a 30 round buff in which before you attack you say Ni! Ni! Ni!

when it runs out its you now say Ecky, Ecky, Ecky, Ecky, P'tang, Zoo Boing! Goodem-zoo-owli-zhiv --God þe mid sie, WhiteWolf 19:48, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] HHG Radio Scripts reference

When I find my copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Scripts, I'll add it in, but for now, in case someone else has the book and can do it ... in the notes about the radio scripts, Douglas Adams says he once wrote a margin comment on a moment in HHG that was similar to the request for a "shrubbery," only to find that the transcriptionist typing up his notes had dutifully typed "(SHRUBBERY)" into the script. Wish I could remember what scene he was commenting on... Lawikitejana 07:46, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Pronunciation

I just reverted back to the IPA that I added, since I just relistened to the clip on youtube and while one person says something more like a short "knee" type, most of them use the pronunciation that I added which used a more closed vowel as in nip. --Slp1 22:15, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

This might be an interesting issue to resolve. I also went and watched the skit again, and it sounded more like a clipped "knee" to me. But, of course, our personal opinions are not really relevant, and I'm not sure if we are going to find a reliable, third-party published source that gives us a confirmed pronunciation on this. Any thoughts on the best way to settle this difference of opinion? -- Satori Son 13:07, 30 April 2007 (UTC)
Sorry I had not seen your discussion here Slp1 before reverting you this morning (I will blame pre-shower blurriness). However, I agree with Satori Son, it is most definitely an ee sound. Nip is more of a ih sound, which it definitely isn't. Much like Alma Cogan (sorry, bad reference to the Holy Grail soundtrack CD). They say Nee not Nih. Also note that I switched to the {{IPA2}} template, but I don't grok IPA myself. They also say Nee in Spamalot. — RevRagnarok Talk Contrib 13:36, 30 April 2007 (UTC)
Up to you guys, since this is fairly low priority issue for me! But I will say that I have years of experience with IPA and ear-training and such, and I did listen very carefully to the film clip 3-4 times, and I stand by my transcription of the most common pronunciation! But like I said different people say it differently even within the film clip, so whatever. --Slp1 14:49, 30 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Move

Am I the only one sorely, sorely tempted to move this page to Knights who say ecky-ecky-ecky-ecky-p'tang, zzoo-boing, gdgdbaaoizen? Indeed; would such a move be appropriate? They are now called the latter name, after all. See, for example, Siam. Jouster  (whisper) 14:12, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Not appropriate. See, WP:COMMONNAME. Still...redirects are cheap.-Verdatum (talk) 22:47, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
Wait, nevermind, probably shouldn't redirect per R3 in WP:CSD. -Verdatum (talk) 22:51, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Youtube link

I have added a you tube link to the actual clip. If you don't like my clip or how I've linked to it please outline what sort of shrubbery you would like and I will deliver one. And I might need a herring. Shanebb 18:21, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

its a copyvio - we don't link to them. Spartaz Humbug! 22:56, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nominate this

This should be nominated and rated by Wiki. One of the better articles in the database Naacats 03:23, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

First, "Wiki" does not rate anything. A wiki is just a program. Second, no, it isn't one of the better articles by a long shot. Is fails numerous aspects of Writing About Fiction. -Verdatum (talk) 14:48, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] In Popular culture

I don't believe the MMORPG references serve as a signifigant improvement of the article. Per WP:HTRIV I believe this sort of information should be removed and left out.