739: Malamanteau - Revision history

Calion: /* Explanation */ fixed nonsensical claim

2026-05-16T15:59:35Z

‎Explanation: fixed nonsensical claim

DollarStoreBa'al: cat

2026-03-31T17:07:32Z

cat

Lettherebedarklight: /* External links */ add Category:Comics with a Spanish translation

2025-12-15T08:57:41Z

‎External links: add Category:Comics with a Spanish translation

2.50.0.22: /* Aftermath */

2025-11-18T06:34:53Z

‎Aftermath

FaviFake: COMPLETE!

2025-07-31T13:57:13Z

COMPLETE!

FaviFake at 10:53, 25 May 2025

2025-05-25T10:53:05Z

172.70.208.121: /* Explanation */

2025-05-16T06:50:00Z

‎Explanation

42.book.addict: nope

2025-04-21T00:41:51Z

nope

162.158.63.90: /* Explanation */

2025-04-21T00:05:19Z

‎Explanation

FaviFake at 17:41, 17 April 2025

2025-04-17T17:41:08Z

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 Language Log is a blog that posts content relating to language and linguistics, including things like malapropisms and portmanteaus. While an informal source, it has produced new linguistic terms before, such as {{w|eggcorn}}. Its comments sections frequently contain discussions and arguments about English, whose participants are probably the same people who write Wikipedia articles about linguistic phenomena like malamanteaus. In actual fact, [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2758 Malamanteau] did not appear on Language Log until after this strip. Malamanteau has since been referenced on the Language Log website, with a link to the comic in question. Language Log has referenced xkcd many times before, reposting the comics and linking to the xkcd website.
-The title text jokingly refers to the "malamanteau" citations being Language Log references and a document from the 1490s, in reference to the fact that linguists, like those who post on Language Log, often use old documents as evidence, possibly to prove that construction is a longstanding feature of the language. The joke is that the only references to this word or concept are a 500-year-old document and linguists informally arguing about what it means. In reality, if these citations were the only evidence of the term's use, then it would be unlikely to be a notable feature worthy of a Wikipedia article. Most articles that are only cited by a single website tend to get deleted unless the subject has achieved significant coverage in outside news media.
+The title text jokingly refers to the "malamanteau" citations being Language Log references and a document from the 1490s, in reference to the fact that linguists, like those who post on Language Log, often use old documents as evidence, possibly to prove that construction is a longstanding feature of the language. The joke is that the only references to this word or concept are a 500-year-old document and linguists informally arguing about what it means. In reality, if these citations were the only evidence of the term's use, then it would be unlikely to be a notable feature worthy of a Wikipedia article. Articles that only cite a single website tend to get deleted unless the subject has achieved significant coverage in outside news media.
 ===Aftermath===

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:07, 31 March 2026
Line 71:		Line 71:
	[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] <!-- The sole and intriguing 'f' to be found in the main-pane Wikipedia motto... -->		[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] <!-- The sole and intriguing 'f' to be found in the main-pane Wikipedia motto... -->
	[[Category:Comics with a Spanish translation]]		[[Category:Comics with a Spanish translation]]
		+	[[Category:Comics with custom header texts]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:57, 15 December 2025
Line 70:		Line 70:
	[[Category:Portmanteau‏‎]]		[[Category:Portmanteau‏‎]]
	[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] <!-- The sole and intriguing 'f' to be found in the main-pane Wikipedia motto... -->		[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]] <!-- The sole and intriguing 'f' to be found in the main-pane Wikipedia motto... -->
		+	[[Category:Comics with a Spanish translation]]

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 ===Aftermath===
-In response to this comic, the {{w|Malamanteau}} article was created and deleted three times in one day, before being turned into a redirect and listed on {{w|WP:RFD|Wikipedia's Redirects for discussion}}. The {{w|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2010 May 12#Malamanteau|discussion to delete Malamanteau}} was one of the most epic and passionate ever to take place at RFD, with almost 200 users participating, even despite being closed early. In the end, the redirect to {{w|xkcd}} was kept, but on {{w|Talk:Malamanteau|the talk page}}, the arguments over it rage on. Malamanteau and the controversy at Wikipedia got coverage at ''{{w|The Economist}}'' and ''{{w|The Boston Globe}}'' and is mentioned in the {{w|Wikipedia:Lamest edit wars#Malamanteau|'''Malamanteu''' section}} within the {{w|Wikipedia:Lamest edit wars|Wikipedia page for the lamest edit wars}}
+In response to this comic, the {{w|Malamanteau}} article was created and deleted three times in one day, before being turned into a redirect and listed on {{w|WP:RFD|Wikipedia's Redirects for discussion}}. The {{w|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2010 May 12#Malamanteau|discussion to delete Malamanteau}} was one of the most epic and passionate ever to take place at RFD, with almost 200 users participating, even despite being closed early. In the end, the redirect to {{w|xkcd}} was kept, but on {{w|Talk:Malamanteau|the talk page}}, the arguments over it rage on. Malamanteau and the controversy at Wikipedia got coverage at ''{{w|The Economist}}'' and ''{{w|The Boston Globe}}'' and is mentioned in the {{w|Wikipedia:Lamest edit wars#Malamanteau|'''Malamanteau''' section}} within the {{w|Wikipedia:Lamest edit wars|Wikipedia page for the lamest edit wars}}
 Elsewhere on Wikipedia, this comic is used to illustrate the {{w|xkcd#Recurring themes|''Recurring themes'' section}} of the {{w|xkcd}} article; in order for this to be possible, Randall changed the license for this particular comic. This has been explained in a unique [[Header text|header text]] that is only displayed on the [[Header text#Malamanteau|page for Malamanteau]]. In response to two Wikipedia editors jokingly bickering about who invented the word "malamanteau" first, Randall replied {{w|User talk:xkcd#Talk:Malamanteau|on his user talk page}}:

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
 A {{w|malapropism}} is the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical utterance. An example of a {{w|malapropism}} is {{w|Yogi Berra}}'s statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes". A {{w|portmanteau}} is a word made up of two or more combined words. For example, motel is a portmanteau, from the words motor and hotel. A {{w|neologism}} is simply a newly coined word that is not yet in common use. Here, [[Randall]] shows a hypothetical Wikipedia page of the word "malamanteau" which is both a portmanteau of "malapropism" and "portmanteau" and a neologism. The method used to create this new word is one of the very words used in the process. This is called a [[917|meta]] or "self-referential" joke.
 By using many large obscure words in one sentence, Randall may also be picking on linguists, [[114|one]] [[1483|of]] his [[1602|favorite]] [[2390|subjects]], who are known for coining and using such words. "Malamanteau" was originally coined in 2007, when user [http://www.metafilter.com/user/17900 ludwig_van] proposed it on [http://www.metafilter.com Metafilter] as a term for language errors like "flustrated" (flustered & frustrated) and "misconscrewed" (misconstrued & screwed). The bottom line of the comic (Ever notice how Wikipedia has a few words it ''really'' likes?) is a reference to a large number of Wikipedia pages that start by labeling their subject matter as a malapropism, a portmanteau, or a neologism.
 The title text refers to Wikipedia's requirements of citations for a page on there to exist. It also refers to the wide range of places citations can be obtained from, showing a direct opposition due to the use of very different citations (The Language Log arguments are modern and informal, whereas the obscure manuscript is formal and much older). The title text also refers to the fact that [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/ Language Log] is frequently used for Wikipedia citations.
@@ Line 25: / Line 16: @@
 Language Log is a blog that posts content relating to language and linguistics, including things like malapropisms and portmanteaus. While an informal source, it has produced new linguistic terms before, such as {{w|eggcorn}}. Its comments sections frequently contain discussions and arguments about English, whose participants are probably the same people who write Wikipedia articles about linguistic phenomena like malamanteaus. In actual fact, [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2758 Malamanteau] did not appear on Language Log until after this strip. Malamanteau has since been referenced on the Language Log website, with a link to the comic in question. Language Log has referenced xkcd many times before, reposting the comics and linking to the xkcd website.
-The comic shows Wikipedia as it would have looked at the beginning of May 2010, using its then-current logo and the then-default “Monobook” skin. Incidentally, just a day after the comic’s publication, a new version of the {{w|Wikipedia logo}} was published, and the default skin was [[mw:Special:Code/MediaWiki/66383|switched]] to the "Vector" skin. Both of these still define the look of Wikipedia as of 2021 (though Vector undergoes continuous updates). Interestingly, the "f" in Wikipedia's tagline "Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia" (the one below the page title, though not the same phrase in the sidebar element) is lowercase. This differs from the other letters, which are written in xkcd's standard all-caps font.
+The title text jokingly refers to the "malamanteau" citations being Language Log references and a document from the 1490s, in reference to the fact that linguists, like those who post on Language Log, often use old documents as evidence, possibly to prove that construction is a longstanding feature of the language. The joke is that the only references to this word or concept are a 500-year-old document and linguists informally arguing about what it means. In reality, if these citations were the only evidence of the term's use, then it would be unlikely to be a notable feature worthy of a Wikipedia article. Most articles that are only cited by a single website tend to get deleted unless the subject has achieved significant coverage in outside news media.
-The title text jokingly refers to the "malamanteau" citations being Language Log references and a document from the 1490s, in reference to the fact that linguists, like those who post on Language Log, often use old documents as evidence, possibly to prove that construction is a longstanding feature of the language. The joke is that the only references to this word or concept are a 500-year-old document and linguists informally arguing about what it means. In reality, if these citations were the only evidence of the term's use, then it would be unlikely to be a notable feature worthy of a Wikipedia article. Most articles that are only cited by a single website tend to get deleted unless the subject has achieved significant coverage in outside news media.
+Elsewhere on Wikipedia, this comic is used to illustrate the {{w|xkcd#Recurring themes|''Recurring themes'' section}} of the {{w|xkcd}} article; in order for this to be possible, Randall changed the license for this particular comic. This has been explained in a unique [[Header text|header text]] that is only displayed on the [[Header text#Malamanteau|page for Malamanteau]]. In response to two Wikipedia editors jokingly bickering about who invented the word "malamanteau" first, Randall replied {{w|User talk:xkcd#Talk:Malamanteau|on his user talk page}}:
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 48: / Line 44: @@
 :[Below the panel.]
 :Ever notice how Wikipedia has a few words it ''really'' likes?
 ==External links==

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ::I'll happily grant you possession of the word and the accompanying Talk page clusterfuck. As I said in a couple places, there was one hit for the word when I did the comic (yours), which I found after posting and which didn't define it the same way. But I'd be happy to give you credit for coming up with the word before I did (I didn't even mean to invent a word), especially if it means you have to argue about the word's inclusion in Wikipedia. Let's work out an agreement. Can we have your people meet with my people, and then get them to fight to the death in some kind of a cage? I think that would be awesome, as my people are pretty scrappy and I assume yours have been training since at least July 2007.
-*Explain the spam on the {{w|Talk:Malamanteau|Malamanteau page (now a redirect)}} that was generated by fans of xkcd recreating the page over and over. See also {{w|Talk:Malamanteau/Archive_1}} and {{w|Talk:Malamanteau/Archive_2}}.}}
+*Explain the spam on the {{w|Talk:Malamanteau|Malamanteau page (now a redirect)}} that was generated by fans of xkcd recreating the page over and over, which was also mentioned in the section {{w|Wikipedia:Lamest edit wars#Malamanteau|"Malamanteu"}} within the "Wikipedia:Lamest edit wars" page, in response to the response to this comic. See also the Malamanteau Talk Page Archives {{w|Talk:Malamanteau/Archive 1|1}} and {{w|Talk:Malamanteau/Archive 2|2}} at Wikipedia.}}
-By using many large obscure words in one sentence, Randall may also be picking on linguists, [[114|one]] [[1483|of]] his [[1602|favorite]] [[2390|subjects]], who are known for coining and using such words. "Malamanteau" was originally coined in 2007, when it was proposed by user [http://www.metafilter.com/user/17900 ludwig_van] on [http://www.metafilter.com Metafilter] as a term for language errors like "flustrated" (flustered & frustrated) and "misconscrewed" (misconstrued & screwed). The bottom line of the comic (Ever notice how Wikipedia has a few words it ''really'' likes?) is a reference to a large number of Wikipedia pages that start by labeling their subject matter as a malapropism, a portmanteau, or a neologism.
+A {{w|malapropism}} is the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical utterance. An example of a {{w|malapropism}} is {{w|Yogi Berra}}'s statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes". A {{w|portmanteau}} is a word made up of two or more combined words. For example, motel is a portmanteau, from the words motor and hotel. A {{w|neologism}} is simply a newly coined word that is not yet in common use. Here, [[Randall]] shows a hypothetical Wikipedia page of the word "malamanteau" which is both a portmanteau of "malapropism" and "portmanteau" and a neologism. The method used to create this new word is one of the very words used in the process. This is called a [[917|meta]] or "self-referential" joke.
 In response to this comic, editors at Wikipedia created a {{w|malamanteau}} page. It was redirected to the {{w|xkcd}} page repeatedly back and forth and eventually {{w|WP:FULL|fully protected}}. Malamanteau and the controversy at Wikipedia got coverage at ''The Economist'' and ''The Boston Globe''. The comic is used to illustrate this section of the xkcd Wikipedia article. In order for this to be possible Randall had to change the license for this particular comic. This has been explained in a unique [[Header text|header text]] that is only displayed on the [[Header text#Malamanteau|page for Malamanteau]].

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Explanation==
 {{incomplete|The trivia section is missing. Need to add the comment by Randall.
-*Explain the joke in the {{w|User talk:xkcd#Talk:Malamanteau|Wikipedia Xkcd talk thread}}. Fucus on Randall's comment and {{tl|Quote}} it, like the trivia on [[285: Wikipedian Protester#Trivia]]:
+*Explain the joke in the {{w|User talk:xkcd#Talk:Malamanteau|Wikipedia Xkcd talk thread}}. Focus on Randall's comment and {{tl|Quote}} it, like the trivia on [[285: Wikipedian Protester#Trivia]]:
 ::I'll happily grant you possession of the word and the accompanying Talk page clusterfuck. As I said in a couple places, there was one hit for the word when I did the comic (yours), which I found after posting and which didn't define it the same way. But I'd be happy to give you credit for coming up with the word before I did (I didn't even mean to invent a word), especially if it means you have to argue about the word's inclusion in Wikipedia. Let's work out an agreement. Can we have your people meet with my people, and then get them to fight to the death in some kind of a cage? I think that would be awesome, as my people are pretty scrappy and I assume yours have been training since at least July 2007.