2602: Linguistics Degree

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Linguistics Degree

Title text: You'd think 'linguistics' would go to someone important in the field, but it's actually assigned to a random student in Ohio who barely graduated and then went into automotive marketing.

Explanation

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Transcript

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Discussion

I think i messed up with the file upload- i was trying to help, sorry guys! Mushrooms (talk) 07:00, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

I think I fixed it. We use the small version of the file, not the x2. --Kynde (talk) 12:47, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

Not to be too nit-picky, but the legendary animal is a combination of jackrabbit and antelope, no jackal in it, therefore it’s jackelope. 172.70.126.65 07:18, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

Uh, no. It's "jackalope": Google is your friend. 172.70.130.153 09:51, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

Yes, I saw the wiki article. Either the person who coined the word was an idiot who thought it was spelled “antalope” or didn’t know how to make a portmanteau. Either way, it is NOT a portmanteau of jackrabbit and antelope, because that would be jackralope or jackelope. At best, you can call it a portmanteau of jackrabbit and a _misspelling_ of antelope.172.70.126.87 17:44, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

Excuse me? Are you in charge of "Jackalope" or Ponytail? ;) Lexi (talk) 20:36, 5 April 2022 (UTC) JACKrabbit + AnteLOPE = JACKALOPE . . . . (Was that so hard?) 172.70.130.153 10:57, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

Definitely jackalope in Texas, their native territory. 172.69.69.170 01:41, 25 April 2022 (UTC)

"Jacklope" Oh DEAR. You are so very and hilariously wrong on the Internet.

My immediate reaction to this was to see where ///bassoon.jackalope.slurp (What3words) took me. Nowhere - but suggested ///passion.jackpot.slurps is near Chausserais, 100 km ESE of Nantes in central France.Jmbryant (talk) 10:22, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

That's nearer Dahu-country, though! 172.70.86.64 10:38, 5 April 2022 (UTC) (P.S. Not that this is even a valid example why, but I rather think What3words is a bad development that will do more harm than good in serious navigation/geolocating purposes. Just sayin' in passing.)

In some languages, a bassoon is called fagotto i.e. faggot, which in English is an offensive word addressing a male homosexual person (Note: I'm describing the word, not discriminating against any people). The word jack also means a male person, and an antelope is horny. With slurp, these three words happen to be kind of inappropriate or graphic, if seen this way. Maybe? Thoughts? Yosei (talk) 05:02, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

Long leap. Or easy leap, as pretty much every word of significance has been (mis)appropriated, and has variable connotations anyway (someone mentions Slurp's variable offensiveness, below). "Faggot" is as likely to be a kind of sausage (an actual sausage, though of course "sausage" has its own innuendo!) or an actual bundle of sticks, round these parts, though we probably do recognise it as (US movie?) slang, if spoken in the more obviously offensive context.

Linking the woodwind ("erection-fart?") directly to ludeness is so easy. Perhaps also through onomatopeia? Or else "bassoons" is reminiscent of "bossoms". "Jack" might be "-the-lad", but no more sign of sexual-male than many other names (There's a John, naturally. Or the naming-of-parts via John-Thomas/Dick/Peter/”Hugh Jampton", etc?). And you missed in the jackrabbit that rabbits themselves have a certain reputation, beyond munching on carrots. Or, the question is, did your 'uncle and antelope'? And, like many ungulents, I believe they like pronking!

Low-hanging fruit (testicles?), I'd say. Not wishing to blow my own trumpet. (Well, I m not really supple enough to try!) 162.158.159.125 09:09, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

This use of faggot is American (and possibly other dialects). In the UK a faggot is a type of liver dumpling, or a wooden branch or a bundle of wooden branches - often intended as firewood.Jmbryant (talk) 08:50, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

Could the random student in Ohio be a cousin of the random programmer in Nebraska? --Quazgar (talk) 11:53, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

There's a Linguistics Society of America, maybe they could coordinate the assignment of words to graduates. Barmar (talk) 13:44, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

In the US, yes. In most of the rest of the world follows ISO 1806. 172.70.130.153 16:43, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

ISO 1806 Determination of mesh breaking force of netting? -- Hkmaly (talk) 23:55, 5 April 2022 (UTC)

I'm sure it was a typo for ISO 24612 Philhower (talk) 12:44, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

Cueball's objection to "slurp" is not explained; what's wrong with "slurp"? I think it's great word! (I wonder if trades are allowed...) 172.68.146.81 21:31, 5 April 2022 (UTC) Corin

You're right. The word slurp is just a word, value-neutral. What this word means can be seen variously, though. In some countries, slurping (e.g. noodle) is not only culturally acceptable but possibly seen positively, implying what they're eating is delicious. In some other countries, slurping may be a no-no, seen negatively. Some webmasters may not like the Yahoo Slurp bot, as it might misbehave. Yosei (talk) 05:02, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

I wonder if those who graduated with honors are entrusted with more difficult words, like irregular verbs or ones with tricky homophones. 172.70.38.41 01:21, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

Or both..? ;) 172.70.85.177 02:37, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

My sister was wondering if the assignment is specific to English, or whether you own the word in every language where it's a, well, word. Like if you got "eleven", are you merely in charge of "the integer between ten and twelve [English]", or are you also the administrator of "lively, alive [Hungarian]"? 172.70.38.41 18:25, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

Oh, no... I believe that the only way to get responsibility for the English word "eleven" is to do a mathematics degree, via the responsible governing body for assigning integers, fractions (vulgar or decimal*, including irrational) and various trans-finite notations. Although, only an infinitesimal number of numbers have been so assigned, so practically no-one else has noticed. Practically zero. Including the person who was actually assigned 'Zero' but was still suffering from a celebratory hangover at their graduation ceremony and apparently never realised.

(* - For historical reasons, however, all your other base belong to Sega.)

Due to an oversight, though, yes the person given "Eleven" has precedence over the Hungarian Linguist (who also has not realised... again due to a hangover). 162.158.159.43 21:17, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

My graduation was bi-lingual (English/Welsh) so, although I got "moron", I've never been quite sure if it was in the sense of "idiot" or "carrots". And actually, come to think of it, the Pro Vice Chancellor did inexplicably say "dirigible" at one point, so maybe it was neither and he just thought I was a moron. Or he fancied some carrots.

Better start researching airships... Yorkshire Pudding (talk) 14:26, 8 April 2022 (UTC)

Or pannas/parsnips (see Welsh Duolingo and FB Owen a'i pannas) 172.69.69.170 01:38, 25 April 2022 (UTC)

I want the word "the" --172.70.134.226 17:52, 24 March 2023 (UTC)

I want the word "word"! RadiantRainwing (talk) 23:58, 30 August 2024 (UTC)

Sustainable sustainable sustainable sustainable "sustainable"! 172.68.205.164 17:38, 31 August 2024 (UTC)

Explanation Tag

"Created by a JACKALOPE SLURPING UP A BASSOON, GRADUATED BACHELOR OF SCIENCE WITH A GUARDIANSHIP OF 'EXPLAIN'" This seems wrong, as the stewardships of words are gifted to recipients of Linguistics degrees, not Science degrees. --These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For (talk) 00:30, 10 April 2022 (UTC)