Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| − | {{comic
| + | i sucked your mom's cock |
| − | | number = 2657
| |
| − | | date = August 10, 2022
| |
| − | | title = Complex Vowels
| |
| − | | image = complex_vowels.png
| |
| − | | titletext = Pronouncing [ṡṡċċḣḣẇẇȧȧ] is easy; you just say it like the 'x' in 'fire'.
| |
| − | }}
| |
| − | | |
| − | ==Explanation==
| |
| − | {{incomplete|Created by a ṡṡċċḣḣẇẇȧȧ - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
| |
| − | In mathematics, complex numbers are numbers including both real numbers and imaginary numbers. A complex number can be expressed as "''a'' + ''b''i" where ''a'' and ''b'' are real numbers, but the latter is combined with i, the imaginary part, to convey a multiple of the square root of negative one. When expanding the one-dimensional number line with an imaginary axis, it becomes two-dimensional with any 'b' component being represented perpendicularly away from the original 'real' line.
| |
| − | | |
| − | [[File:Ipa-chart-vowels.png|thumb|200px|The IPA vowel chart]]
| |
| − | In phonetics, the vowelspace is represented as two-dimensional. This is non-abstract: the y axis represents vowel height (i.e. how close or far the tongue is from the top of the mouth) and the x axis represents frontness/backness (i.e. how close or far the tongue is from the teeth). In an analogy to the addition of a new dimension in mathematics, two-dimensional vowelspace becomes '''three'''-dimensional with a new axis.
| |
| − | | |
| − | In linguistics ə is the schwa symbol, the most common vowel sound in English polysyllabic words (the a in comma or the e in letter). The schwa symbol looks like a reversed e symbol (the base of natural logarithms).
| |
| − | | |
| − | This comic conflates complex numbers in mathematics with "complex vowels" in linguistics. This creates a series of sounds which cannot be properly processed by the human brain. This is similar to the cliche of "black speech" in Lovecraftian horror, a language created by alien beings with different vocal patterns than humans.
| |
| − | | |
| − | The linguist in the comic appears to be {{w|Gretchen McCulloch}}, as previously depicted in [[2421: Tower of Babel]] and [[2381: The True Name of the Bear]].
| |
| − | | |
| − | ==Transcript==
| |
| − | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
| |
| − | | |
| − | The comic shows the creation of a cursed vowel by adding 1/2 i to the normal vowel [ə], thus creating a very odd looking symbol.
| |
| − | | |
| − | A linguist appears to be saying said cursed vowel, causing two people nearby to put their hands to their heads
| |
| − | | |
| − | {{comic discussion}}
| |
Revision as of 23:07, 10 August 2022
