| Latest revision |
Your text |
| Line 8: |
Line 8: |
| | | | |
| | ==Explanation== | | ==Explanation== |
| − | {{w|Part of speech|Parts of speech}} can be treated fluidly, in English and other languages. For example, "medalled" has been coined as a word meaning "gained a medal" in a sporting competition, implying the existence of the {{w|verb}} "to medal" meaning "to win a medal". This is a {{w|Trope (Literature)|literary trope}} called anthimeria, and is typically used by using a noun as a verb (or 'verbing a noun'). [[Megan]], in conversation with [[Cueball]], similarly creates new meanings from existing words: firstly, she uses the {{w|adjective}} "legit" (a slang abbreviation of "legitimate") as an {{w|adverb}} to mean "legitimately"; secondly, she uses the {{w|noun}} "adverb" as a verb meaning "to turn a non-adverb into an adverb"; and thirdly, she uses the {{w|noun phrase}} "language nerd" as an adjective. All three "verbs" after the first comma are used in the past tense.
| + | The English language (and others) can be, and often is, treated quite fluidly with regard to certain word forms. For example "medalled" has been coined as the act of "having gained a medal" in a sporting competition. (Not to be confused with "meddled".) "Verbed" (i.e. to have made a non-verb form into a {{w|verb}} form) is a more long-standing example which is used in this comic without any form of meta-reference and has perhaps gained greater acceptance, already, even amongst those who might decry the other neologism. |
| | | | |
| − | Megan uses the words "verbed" and "adjectived" without any comment, implying that the acts of "verbing" the nouns "verb" and "adjective" are so natural and long-established that they are unremarkable (although the fact that "adjectived" came after "verbed" may also have something to do with the latter's non-mention), even if grammatical purists might decry such usage. An example of a change of parts of speech that is widely accepted is the {{w|gerund}}, which is nothing more than the use of a verb or verb-phrase as a noun; for instance, "I enjoy '''reading'''," and "the best thing for your health is '''not smoking'''". | + | In the comic, [[Megan]] points out to [[Cueball]] how she has created new forms of existing words in the same sentence which they were created. Firstly, "legit" (a slang abbreviation of "legitimate") has been newly created as an {{w|adverb}} from the {{w|adjective}} "legitimate" (confusingly, since "legitimately" already exists as a usable adverb). Secondly, "adverb" has been 'verbed' into "adverbed" (the act of turning a non-adverb into an adverb). Finally, it is also pointed out that the noun phrase "language nerd" has been used in an adjectival context, i.e. "adjectived". |
| | | | |
| − | Added humor is gained by the self-referential nature of Megan's sentence. She uses fluid parts of speech, and also refers to that very same use, in one sentence.
| + | "Not to go all sentence fragment on you" is a sentence fragment as it contains neither a subject nor a predicate: |
| − | | + | :(I do) not (mean) to go all sentence fragment on you, but... |
| − | The title text, "Not to go all sentence fragment on you," is an implicitly self-referential sentence fragment, containing neither an explicit subject nor a predicate. It can be converted into a full sentence by rephrasing it something like, "I do not mean to go all sentence fragment on you, but..." It is also funnier because, as well as being ''self''-referential, it also refers to the main comic by adjectiving the noun-phrase "sentence fragment".
| |
| | | | |
| | ==Transcript== | | ==Transcript== |
| − | | + | Megan (to Cueball): I don't mean to go all language nerd on you, but I just legit adverbed "legit", verbed "adverb", and adjectived "language nerd". |
| − | [Megan and Cueball are standing together, presumably during a conversation]
| |
| − | | |
| − | :Megan: I don't mean to go all language nerd on you, but I just legit adverbed "legit", verbed "adverb", and adjectived "language nerd".
| |
| | | | |
| | {{comic discussion}} | | {{comic discussion}} |
| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
| |
| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
| |
| − | [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
| |
| − | [[Category:Language]]
| |
