A most excellent thread

Packard

Packard

Senior Member
USA, English
I never use the superlative of "excellent" and when I hear it used I immediately think it is a foreign speaker using it.

When I look it up it is clearly "correct" English. So what is there about "most excellent" that makes me think it is spoken by someone for whom English is a second language.

And damningly I suspect, is my notion that the speaker is usually Indian.

Does anyone else think this sounds a bit odd for an English speaker? Or is it something in my head only.
 
    • It sounds literary to me but not odd or wrong. I grew up hearing Bible verses all the time and it reminds me of "I will show you a still more excellent way". Since I was used to hearing a comparative form it doesn't sound odd to hear a superlative form.
     
    When I saw this in the list of threads, my thought was: "Victorian native speaker English." It's not something I would say or expect to hear, except perhaps from a speaker who was going for a period flavour (for comic effect or in order to sound pompous, or something of that sort).
     
    sound shift said:
    When I saw this in the list of threads, my thought was: "Victorian native speaker English." It's not something I would say or expect to hear, except perhaps from a speaker who was going for a period flavour (for comic effect or in order to sound pompous, or something of that sort).
    Click to expand...

    Would Indian speakers be taught an older style of English? Especially in stories in the early or middle of the 20th century?
     
    Whenever I hear 'excellent', Mr Burns springs to mind:

    f83e13fc005394433a6a76a793f11042.jpg
     
    In addition to some older uses, "most X" is used in "Valley Speak." One of many quotes from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure :
    Seven minutes ago... we, your forefathers, were brought forth upon a most excellent adventure conceived by our new friends, Bill... and Ted.
    Click to expand...
     
    JamesM said:
    Why do you ask? Is that where you saw it?
    Click to expand...

    A Bryce Courtenay novel, "Tandia" which is a continuation of the "Power of One" novel he wrote in the 1970s. It takes place in 1950 to about 1956. The location is South Africa, and the speaker is Indian.

    Upon hearing "most excellent" is sounded distinctly foreign to me and particularly Indian. Perhaps partially because of the syntax.
     
    If memory serves, A Most Excellent Mystery is the title of a novel in the "Brother Cadfael" series by Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter), set around the Welsh-English border in the period when Stephen and Matilda were fighting for the crown.
     
    Last edited:
    The word "most" is not always used to form a superlative.
    See WR dictionary definition #9:
    9. very:This murder is a most puzzling case.
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    In the case of "A Most Excellent Mystery" or "Bill and Ted's most excellent adventure" mentioned in the thread, and similar uses, it is an adverb meaning "very" and modifying "excellent".

    However, it is possible to use "most" as a superlative, but then it would not be "a" most, but rather "the" most.
    This murder is the most puzzling case I have ever encountered.
    versus
    This murder is a most puzzling case.

    The use of "most excellent" meaning "very excellent" does strike me as being rather "period flavour" as described by sound shift in post #3. It might not sound like normal current English, but rather like some sort of effect (Victorian, comedic, arch, or whatever.)

    Maybe the fact that it is so frequently used in this arch (or maybe archaic) way is what makes it look weird to you when you see it used in a superlative sense.
     
    sound shift said:
    When I saw this in the list of threads, my thought was: "Victorian native speaker English." It's not something I would say or expect to hear, except perhaps from a speaker who was going for a period flavour (for comic effect or in order to sound pompous, or something of that sort).
    Click to expand...
    The Ngrams support that period association!
     
    I would like to thank everyone for their most excellent responses.

    And if the above sentence is correct, then Cuba's contention that "most excellent" requires "the" must be in error. But that is if my usage is actually in the superlative.
     
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