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Non-VIrgin...a Lexical Gap?

2010-09-22 · Hank · watch on YouTube · History & curiosities · curiosity idea

Hank tells how a tweet asking for 'the word for when there should be a word' taught him from Nerdfighters what a lexical gap (lacuna) is, then writes to 15-year-old John that science, like critical reading, is one of many ways to learn what and how to think.

What is said

00:00:15 — Story: a troll's 'nerds die virgins' comment, no word for the opposite of virgin, Hank's tweet asking the word for a missing word, Nerdfighters answer 'lexical gap' and 'lacuna' (Romanian 'shallow', English plural 'you')

  • ★★ Hank says that while reading the vlogbrothers comments he saw a reference to nerds dying virgins, a common statement among trolls. — 00:00:20 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★ Hank says 'deflowered', his first choice for the opposite, has a negative connotation, with synonyms like corrupt and sully. (playful) (hedged) — 00:00:37
  • ★★ Hank says there is really no word for the opposite of virgin, and there should be a word for when there is no word for something. — 00:00:57
  • ★★ Hank tweeted, as a joke rather than a serious question, asking for the word for when there should be a word for something but there isn't. — 00:01:09 · Twitter
  • ★★ Hank says Nerdfighters, 'because Nerdfighters know this stuff', quickly tweeted back that there is a phrase for it: lexical gap. — 00:01:19 · Nerdfighteria
  • ★★ Hank says Romanian has no word for 'shallow', so translators into Romanian must say 'not-so-deep'. — 00:01:33
  • ★★ Hank says English has no plural for 'you', which leads people to invent words like y'all and youse guys. — 00:01:41
  • ★★ After another follower suggested 'lacuna', Hank explains that for linguists a lacuna is a missing word that should exist; with non-linguists, 'lexical gap' is clearer. — 00:01:54 > «a lacuna is when there is no word for something that there should be a word for»

00:02:19 — Letter to 15-year-old John: science, like critical reading, teaches what and how to think; many routes to the same place

  • ★★★ In his letter, Hank tells 15-year-old John that school math and science feel like torture, but science helps us understand what to think about and how. — 00:02:26
  • ★★ Hank says 33-year-old John will write a video letter to 15-year-old Hank saying the same thing about critical reading, and he will be right. (playful) — 00:02:42 · close reading
  • ★★★ Hank says there are many routes to choosing what and how to think (critical reading for John; statistics, population dynamics and evolutionary theory for him); what matters for a good life is getting there. — 00:02:55 · close reading

00:03:18 — 'Dump your girlfriend' before she dumps you; sign-off

  • ★★ Hank tells 15-year-old John to dump his girlfriend now, so that he has one girlfriend in his past he dumped before she dumped him. (joke) — 00:03:18

Humor (significant)

  • Hank holds up his letter to 15-year-old John, then admits it is a bank statement. — 00:00:06 > «Actually it's an important update regarding my overdraft coverage.»
  • Hank resolves his self-referential question after learning the linguists' term. — 00:02:07 > «and there is a word for when there should be a word for something, and that word is lacuna»
  • Hank's letter to 15-year-old John repeats John's letter almost word for word, with science in place of critical reading. — 00:02:42 > «when you're 33, you're going to write a video letter to 15-year-old me saying those exact same things about critical reading.»
  • Hank orders 15-year-old John to dump a girlfriend he knows nothing about, for John's future self-esteem. — 00:03:24 > «if there is ONE girlfriend in your past that you managed to dump before she dumped you»

Threads in this video

Replies to

  • Life Is Like Pizza — «you're going to write a video letter to 15-year-old me saying those exact same things»

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