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Re: CHAT: Bagels and lox

• To: John Cowan <jcowan@r...>
• Subject: Re: CHAT: Bagels and lox
• From: jborden@a...
• Date: Tue, 02 Jul 2002 20:00:11 +0000
• Cc: larsga@g... (Lars Marius Garshol), xml-dev@l...

Just goes to show that analyzing the syntax of a message 
will only get you so far, particularly with a joke. You 
need to understand the context and intended 
semantics ... it becomes actually amusing :-)) This idea 
of a shared semantics is particularly apropos to such 
humor.

--
Jonathan
> Lars Marius Garshol scripsit:
> 
> > That could be, but since the original joke seemed to imply that the
> > word "lox" was only known in the mid-West, and since that area
> > (Minnesota especially) is known to have disproportionately many
> > Scandiavian immigrants, and the terms were near-identical in
> > pronunciation and meaning, it seemed sort of logical.
> 
> On the contrary, I think the joke clearly implies that the subject
> knows neither "bagels" nor "lox", since he does not know which
> term applies to which referent.  (He needs a topic map!)
> So he must come from the non-lox-eating part of the Midwest.
> 
> -- 
> John Cowan                                jcowan@r...
> At times of peril or dubitation,          http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
> Perform swift circular ambulation,        http://www.reutershealth.com
> With loud and high-pitched ululation.
> 
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