xkcd: Language Acquisition
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?'
795
Comments31Source: 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?'
Reads comic.
Goes back to count how many words are in the comic.
Child1? You start numbering at 1? You monster!
You keep child0 unassigned in case the girl you met at the club three years ago starts looking for you
Better not ask what happened to child0
I let my children pick their own 96-bit number and just hope there's no collisions.
I just name my children using GUIDs. To keep things simple I normally call them by the first 32 bits, but when they're getting into trouble I use all 128.
Well their full names are 128-bit. I just use the last 32 bits to store timestamps, demographic info and checksum bits.
If he ever sends a 404, hopefully he just returns on all fours.
Who learns twelve before one through eleven?
That's my favorite part of this joke.
Is twelve a number or a word?
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.
But being able to express those symbols in a sentence requires words
It's more like, they can exist in our head without being words. So they are a distinct thing.
That's fine. So the kid has a concept of 1-11 but doesn't know the words for them.
It's in a superposition of states until observed.
Yes
Twist: he knows more than 12 words, he just didn't learn the right number
Yeah, I immediately thought of that scene in the West Wing.
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.
For the uninitiated, uh huh had only ever said uh huh throughout the movie till he drops this.
THESE WORDS ARE ACCEPTED.
Is that a stormlight archive reference?
It'd be so much weirder if it wasn't.
Used every word he had to make that sentence
There are now two ____.
of them
wuggles
Didnt' forget this time!
Hopefully I did that correctly
How do you count to twelve without knowing the other numbers?