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Introducing Indo-European Jones

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It started on Twitter, as these things often do. I read a comment about linguists and lexicographers being to language “what grave robbers are to archeology” (the context: hatred of the newly popular because X phrase), and I tweeted it with a raised eyebrow.

Jonathon Owen replied that he wished he’d been given a “leather jacket, bullwhip, and fedora” upon graduation, James Callan said he wanted to see an “Indiana Jones pastiche focused on a linguist”, and I felt it was a meme waiting to happen. So without further ado, let me introduce Indo-European Jones (or Indy for short).

James got the giant boulder ball rolling (click on images to enlarge):

stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - this belongs in the OED - James Callan

I jumped on the mine cart meme-wagon:

stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - nothing shocks me - I'm a linguist

James added another:

stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - this neologism is worthless - James Callan

Jonathon joined in:

stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - meddling with foreign languages - Jonathon Owen

And more of mine follow, for silliness’ sake. Apologies to Jonathon for this next one – I think vowels works better as an echo of powers:

stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - you're meddling with vowels you can't possibly comprehend

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stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - X never ever marks the schwa

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stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - why'd it have to be semantics

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stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - grammar nazis - i hate these guys

These all refashion lines from the films, but if you take a notion to modify the meme some other way, please do. Here’s the blank image I used. (Font style: Calibri, white, engraved.)

Updates:

Via Twitter, @ecormany offers: “we named the dog Indo-European…”; and @TSchnoebelen suggests: “I think it’s time to ask yourself…does your predicate presuppose the proposition it introduces is true?”

From (and made by) @OisinCarey:

stan carey - Indo-European Jones meme - oddly attired for a linguist - oisin carey


Filed under: film, humour, language, linguistics, wordplay Tagged: films, Harrison Ford, humour, Indiana Jones, Indo-European, language, linguistics, linguistics humour, memes, silliness, Twitter, wordplay

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