language
Original: language on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
A woman with long blue hair speaks to a bearded man.
Woman: People used to be literate. You pick up a copy of Milton, and the sentences have so many nested clauses that a modern reader can hardly remember what the subject is.
Panel 2:
The bearded man (wearing round glasses) responds, looking wistful.
Bearded man: It's too bad we don't live in a culture that appreciates the structure of language... the possibilities.
Panel 3 (caption banner across the top reads: "MEANWHILE, IN THE CS DEPARTMENT..."):
A woman with red/orange hair speaks to a man with round glasses. Her speech bubble is one enormous deeply-nested sentence:
Red-haired woman: Hey Dave (which I am happy to call you (though I'm happy to call you something else (happy in the sense of willing) if you prefer)) because Sally (from across the hall (though she'll be moving (different building, not different city (ha ha)) shortly)) said you prefer it) wanna get a coffee?
Man with glasses: Sure!
Votey:
Close-up on the same bespectacled man's face, looking blank/uneasy. A speech bubble next to him reads: "Else, sadness"
A woman with long blue hair speaks to a bearded man.
Woman: People used to be literate. You pick up a copy of Milton, and the sentences have so many nested clauses that a modern reader can hardly remember what the subject is.
Panel 2:
The bearded man (wearing round glasses) responds, looking wistful.
Bearded man: It's too bad we don't live in a culture that appreciates the structure of language... the possibilities.
Panel 3 (caption banner across the top reads: "MEANWHILE, IN THE CS DEPARTMENT..."):
A woman with red/orange hair speaks to a man with round glasses. Her speech bubble is one enormous deeply-nested sentence:
Red-haired woman: Hey Dave (which I am happy to call you (though I'm happy to call you something else (happy in the sense of willing) if you prefer)) because Sally (from across the hall (though she'll be moving (different building, not different city (ha ha)) shortly)) said you prefer it) wanna get a coffee?
Man with glasses: Sure!
Votey:
Close-up on the same bespectacled man's face, looking blank/uneasy. A speech bubble next to him reads: "Else, sadness"
Alt text
A four-part SMBC comic. Panel 1: a blue-haired woman tells a bearded man, "People used to be literate. You pick up a copy of Milton, and the sentences have so many nested clauses that a modern reader can hardly remember what the subject is." Panel 2: the bearded man replies wistfully, "It's too bad we don't live in a culture that appreciates the structure of language... the possibilities." Panel 3, under a caption banner reading "MEANWHILE, IN THE CS DEPARTMENT...": a red-haired woman speaks to a bespectacled man in a single absurdly deeply-nested sentence full of stacked parentheticals: "Hey Dave (which I am happy to call you (though I'm happy to call you something else (happy in the sense of willing) if you prefer)) because Sally (from across the hall (though she'll be moving (different building, not different city (ha ha)) shortly)) said you prefer it) wanna get a coffee?" He answers, "Sure!" The joke: programmers, used to nested code like if/else and parentheses, naturally speak in the kind of deeply nested sentences the literature lovers were nostalgic for. Votey (aftercomic): a close-up of the bespectacled man's blank, slightly uneasy face beside a small speech bubble reading "Else, sadness" — finishing his if/else thought.
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.