794
submitted 2 years ago by otter@lemmy.ca to c/comicstrips@lemmy.world

Source: https://xkcd.com/2839/

Explain XKCD: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2839

Title text: My first words were 'These were my first words; what were yours?'

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[-] superduperenigma@lemmy.world 136 points 2 years ago

Reads comic.

Goes back to count how many words are in the comic.

[-] MeDuViNoX@sh.itjust.works 57 points 2 years ago

Who learns twelve before one through eleven?

[-] notst@lemmy.world 48 points 2 years ago

That's my favorite part of this joke.

[-] Johanno@feddit.de 10 points 2 years ago

Is twelve a number or a word?

[-] Grippler@feddit.dk 28 points 2 years ago

There is only a distinction when written, when spoken everything is words.

[-] dustyData@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

We have solid reason to believe numbers are a pretty distinct symbolic category. We don't use the same part of the brain we use for speech to process numbers. We use a different distinct part of the brain that is not used for speech and is more related with visual processing. Both, speech and number areas, are activated when we read spelled out numbers, and even homophones pointing to the theory that numerals develop into their own thing inside our brains.

[-] morphballganon@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

But being able to express those symbols in a sentence requires words

[-] dustyData@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

It's more like, they can exist in our head without being words. So they are a distinct thing.

[-] morphballganon@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

That's fine. So the kid has a concept of 1-11 but doesn't know the words for them.

[-] Hupf@feddit.de 2 points 2 years ago

It's in a superposition of states until observed.

[-] match@pawb.social 46 points 2 years ago

Twist: he knows more than 12 words, he just didn't learn the right number

[-] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago

Yeah, I immediately thought of that scene in the West Wing.

President Josiah Bartlet : Sweden has a 100% literacy rate, Leo. 100%! How do they do that?

Leo McGarry : Well, maybe they don't and they also can't count

[-] brygphilomena@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

Actually, I've always had a rather extensive vocabulary, not to mention a phenomenal grasp of grammar and a superlative command of syntax. I simply chose not to employ them.

[-] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 13 points 2 years ago

Context

For the uninitiated, uh huh had only ever said uh huh throughout the movie till he drops this.

[-] WagnasT@iusearchlinux.fyi 29 points 2 years ago
[-] bss03@infosec.pub 7 points 2 years ago

Is that a stormlight archive reference?

[-] TheActualDevil@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

It'd be so much weirder if it wasn't.

[-] who8mydamnoreos@lemmy.world 20 points 2 years ago

Used every word he had to make that sentence

[-] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 2 years ago
[-] otter@lemmy.ca 16 points 2 years ago

Didnt' forget this time!

Hopefully I did that correctly

[-] TWeaK@lemm.ee 10 points 2 years ago

How do you count to twelve without knowing the other numbers?

this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2023
794 points (98.4% liked)

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