The intricate non-verbal and pseduo-verbal dance of cocktail party communication, whose below the surface complexity is epic and whose rules are unwritten and mostly subconscious. If you appreciate Neil Simon plays but know you could never write them or act in one, you appreciate this fact. This dance is vividly depicted in all of its epic complexity in a collection of xkcd comic panels discussed in a Language Log post today.
Anyway, why is it that things that are funny and things that are potentially embarassing, so often overlap?
No comments:
Post a Comment