{"id":17,"date":"2016-07-29T04:26:20","date_gmt":"2016-07-29T04:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petermcunningham.com\/blog\/?p=17"},"modified":"2017-07-22T04:36:03","modified_gmt":"2017-07-22T04:36:03","slug":"cunning-linguist-bad-pun-not-even-funny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petermcunningham.com\/blog\/cunning-linguist-bad-pun-not-even-funny\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cCunning Linguist\u201d Is a Bad Pun and Not Even Funny"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"a<\/p>\n

Warning: This post contains some mildly explicit language.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s something many of us have probably seen: Some person or another makes a post on social media, or even makes a statement in real life, pertaining to language, grammar, linguistics, or the like. Maybe it\u2019s not even related to language per se, but just displays an artful turn of phrase. Another person, upon reading or hearing it, makes a mad dash to comment. Not with anything insightful, or original, or supportive, but with something like this:<\/p>\n

You always were a cunning linguist!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you\u2019re one of these people, I implore you. Fucking stop it, you jackass.<\/p>\n

The Problem with \u201cCunning Linguist\u201d<\/h4>\n

Before we get to the problem<\/em> with \u201ccunning linguist,\u201d first we need to take a look at why in the first place people feel the need to trot it out whenever they possibly can.<\/p>\n

The idea is basically this: \u201cCunning linguist\u201d both looks and sounds kind of like \u201ccunnilingus,\u201d which is the technical term for eating pussy. Ha! Get it!<\/p>\n

The primary problem with this joke is simply that it\u2019s not funny. Without getting into the gender politics surrounding the fact that even the most oblique reference to sexually gratifying a woman is considered a hilarious joke to many, let me assert that merely making an oblique reference to sexually gratifying a woman is not good humor. It\u2019s easy, and dumb, and at this point quite predictable.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, \u201ccunning linguist\u201d isn\u2019t even that good a joke, linguistically, beyond this obvious homophony. “Cunning linguist,\u201d as a linguistic unit, is comprised of a noun (linguist) with an adjective (cunning) modifying it. But because \u201clinguist\u201d is a countable singular noun<\/em>, it requires<\/a> an article preceding it. No one is “cunning linguist.” They are “a<\/em> cunning linguist.” In contrast, “cunnilingus” is a mass noun<\/em>, meaning it requires no article, and indeed, both looks and sounds really weird with one (“a cunnilingus”). There\u2019s really no way to drop \u201ccunning linguist\u201d into a context where \u201ccunnilingus\u201d would make equal grammatical sense, one of the marks of a truly great pun.<\/p>\n

Not to mention the primary (and most frequently used) meaning of the word \u201ccunning\u201d isn\u2019t merely \u201cskillful,\u201d but \u201cadept at scheming or deceit.\u201d While a Facebook rant on the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis<\/a> might justify calling the ranter a linguist, it does nothing to paint them as truly cunning. Ditto if someone comments on their Oxford comma preference, or just says something clever.<\/p>\n

Finally, a “linguist” is someone who who studies language in an academic capacity. Someone who talks is not a linguist just because they use language. Yet, we frequently see “cunning linguist” used like this:<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The third example is the most inscrutable (name and face removed to protect the innocent), but all three display the same conflation of \u201cusing language\u201d with \u201cbeing a linguist.\u201d MTV Australia\u2019s post is the most clever of the bunch, insofar as it at least makes the joke in reference to something sexual, but it\u2019s an awfully low bar.<\/p>\n

The Only Acceptable Use of “Cunning Linguist” I Can Think Of<\/h4>\n

In parting, I leave you with the only acceptable use of “cunning linguist” that I can think of:<\/p>\n

Person 1<\/strong>: Hello, friend. I heard that you were recently granted tenure at the university. How did you manage that difficult feat?
\nPerson 2<\/strong>: I offered to go down on the chair of the linguistics department in exchange for the job, and she agreed. It was the only way I could get a tenured gig over my more qualified colleague.
\nPerson 3<\/strong>: You cunning linguist!<\/p>\n

Image Credit: Ed Brambley via Flickr<\/a>\/Creative Commons<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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