Linguistic Geek (Word Nerd)

Blossoming into full 'blognerdiness', I have recently, with some friends, embarked on a Quest. It was on this quest that I found this gem of an article at Sterne talking about Computer Nerds and Naughty Words. It is so well written that it made me laugh, but the actual content is quite disturbing, especially given the links between arousal and violence.

So why am I posting this on a 'Humour Archive'? I'm interested to know:

- Why is the image of 'deviant dweebs' is amusing?
- Would we be amusing if jocks were making similar threats?
- Is it simply to format of the particular article that makes it funny?
- How is it that we can be amused and yet sickened, as Jon seems to be, at the same time?
- Is it the fact that we are sickened that makes us amused and promts us to create humour?

Thank you Libra!

are you suffering from......um......that thing.......you know...............? Hang on, I'll see if I can look it up. Ah, here we are:

lethologica

That's the one.

Thanks Libra Ultrathins for interesting fact #95. I really, um......................what's the word?.......appreciated it.

This is a rather apt word in describing its meaning. Rather like the onomatopoeia-appropriateness of Palilalia in the post below, only the onomatopoeia is missing, or at least only there in the abstract.


(forgive my lame excuse for a post...just had to get something down)

The Subconscious, and the strange things that lurk therein

At the moment, I am reading Freud's The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious. Funnily enough (just HILARIOUSLY, in fact), this post has almost nothing to do with Freud, save the fact that a memory just trickled down through the recesses of my brain and oozed into my conscious.

So, being in a high state of procrastination, I thought I'd blog about it.

Here's the memory (hope it comes across as at least mildly amusing; when I first experienced it I think it kept me chuckling for several days [this is perhaps an indication of hos sad I really am...]):

Our cleaning lady's daughter had come over, with her mother, to our house.
While her mother was cleaning, she sat, staring determinedly at a printed A4 piece of paper.
I went about my business, not really noticing what she was reading.
She remained sitting. Staring. Almost frowning at the paper.
Hours passed.
She still had not moved.
The frown remained.
Same sheet of paper - one sided A4 sheet.
She continued in this manner for almost of three hours.
Motionless.
Silent.
Finally, I glanced at the title of the paper she was reading.
It read: "Excellent Jokes"


Not laughing? Hey, just because I study humour, doesn't mean I'm funny! :S

Nonsequitur

The meaning of the above can be found in the comments of TimT's 'nonsequitur' post over at willtypeforfood. I was so entertained by his description of character #4 (of the same name), that I have linked it here for your enjoyment/perusal/brain-hurtiness.

Thanks TimT!

This is nonsense humour at its finest. It reminds me of the childhood stanza:

"Ladies and Gentlemen [sometime pronounced 'Jellybubbles' or 'Jellybeans'],
I come before you to stand behind you,
to tell you something I know nothing about.
On Monday which is Good Friday,
there will be a mothers' meeting for fathers only.
Admission is free,
pay at the door;
Bring your own seats
and sit on the floor"

There's another one about going downstairs to clean the attic, but it escapes me at present.

Palilalilalilalia

When one is studying...one comes across some mildly amusing distractions.

Today I learned, while looking up 'Pallava' in my linguistics dictionaries (which wasn't in either of them; it's a type of script) and I came across the appropriately named:

Palilalia - "Speech disorder described as the involuntary repetition of words or larger units".

Perhaps one's brain is receptive to these things at certain times....I'm not so sure it's funny, now that I've spent time typing this up.

This word reminds me of 'echolalia', which, apart from the title of a Something for Kate album, also means "mechanical repetition of the words just uttered by another speaker, when symptomatic of a speech or other mental disorder".

Enoughough ofofof me and me and my linginguistic nerderdinessess.