this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2024
85 points (92.9% liked)

No Stupid Questions

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No such thing. Ask away!

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This community is bizarre and probably the most genuine one I've stumbled upon. How do I consistently get more comments then updoots here?

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[–] [email protected] 70 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

Edit: I just have to bitch about a stupid website called GIFer that uses mp4 not gif... Stupid.

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[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago

☹️😐🙂😐☹️😐🙂

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The the the the the, the the the the the the the the; the the the the the the.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

I saw a mechanic throw down a wrench and shout "the fuck-fucking fucker's fucking fucked AGAIN" and we all knew the deadline needed a push.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

You've certainly shown the diversity of the word.

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

I am Groot.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Not really. A word with every meaning is meaningless itself, since it doesn't allow you to narrow down the word's intended meaning from the set of all possible meanings.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

[audience looks around] 'What just happened?' 'There must be some context we're missing.'

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

Professional academic linguist here. (Yes, that's a thing.)

Words have the meanings that communities apply to them. There is no governing body over word meanings. There can be a tension (e.g. two groups using the same term in different ways), but that doesn't really mean that the word means both. Words mean different things to different groups. It has to be this way, for epistemic and pragmatic reasons.

In that sense, meanings are not consciously assigned. So the answer to your original question could be "no".

But in another sense, all meanings are possible for any given meaningful sequence around the world. Which means, in principle, given infinite communities of practice, a word could have infinite meanings. A stretch, of course.

Edit:

There is no governing body over word meanings

I'm speaking here in terms of global English. There are some languages that have governing bodies, or at least bodies that claim to be governing bodies, like French with the Académie Française. But this is not at all the norm.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Or, to put it another way, (unprofessional academic linguist here), a word has meanings by what you mean by it, and what the listener understands it to mean.

In a sense, it can mean anything you want it to. In another sense, it can mean anything the listener/reader interprets it as. Most useful though is when you mean the same meaning that the listener understands.

And for "accepted/official meaning", that's just a community all agreeing on a meaning. Optionally with a recognised group (e.g. dictionary writer) affirming certain meanings as accepted in the community.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Yes, literally.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

You seem to be looking for the word fuck.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

sounds skibidi

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

Theoretically, yes. In practice, no. Suppose bla becomes a everything word. If anyone asks what bla means, you say it means bla. The other person won't understand, you persist on bla bla bla meaning bla means bla, by which bla can mean anything and you realize that it just doesn't work, because if it "means anything", in reality it means nothing.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

Came here looking for this

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

In theory, yes. In practice, no.

The association between meaning and word is arbitrary, but socially dictated. You'd need to have other people accepting that that word conveys that meaning in at least some context.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

ACK! ACK ACK ACK ACK. ACK ACK.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

He comes in peace!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

Let me introduce you to Goptjaam, probably the closest "language" that fits what you mean: https://youtu.be/ze5i_e_ryTk

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

May I mambo dogface to the banana patch?

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

That's what the word "aught" means. Literally "anything at all."

Dragon's Dogma really loves using it for just about any meaning, too, which is why I had to look it up lol

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

That's "jawn" in Philly. It can stand in for literally any object. "These jawns are expensive" "Make a left at the jawn" "Jawn said he ain't coming" "This jawn is packed"

[–] janus2 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

every time I see a transplant refer to an animate object as jawn they get mocked raucously by the phillyborn

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

I aught aught that aught I?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

There's a sci-fi movie from USSR, "Kin-dza-dza". The natives of another planet in another galaxy were telepathes, but used language consisting of only a few words. "Koo" was for almost any word, "kiu" for swearing, "ketse" for matches (most valuable asset) and a few more. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kin-dza-dza!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago

The simple answer to your question is no. Language is as much about distinction and exclusion as it is about description. The word "circle" stands for the description and properties of the circle, but would be incoherent if it did not also exclude straight lines.

You can often find examples where some things are considered premium or desirable not for the properties is has, but for what it lacks. Just think of all the products marketed to not have something like BPA, fat, sugar, Carbs, gluten, asbestos, lead, and even cruelty.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I thought we did this with buffalo

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Buffalo, buffalo buffalo buffalo, buffalo bufalo buffalo? Buffalo buffalo buffalo.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Correct me if I'm old, but isn't this kinda what gen Z is doing with skibidi?

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