Kirk: I’m having trouble hearing lately. Bones: Can you describe the symptoms? Kirk: Homer is a fat guy, and his wife Marge has blue hair.

  • 🇨🇦🇩🇪🇨🇳张殿李🇨🇳🇩🇪🇨🇦@ttrpg.networkOPEnglish
    71·
    6 months ago

    …

    I don’t even know how to respond to this.

    Kirk’s complaint is at the top. Not only is English read from left to right, but it’s also read TOP TO BOTTOM. This fact has been used all over the place in writing, including in comics:

    (So ubiquitous is this format that I literally just popped a comic I was in the process of reading up onto my screen and there it was in one of the frames! I didn’t have to go searching.)

    You’ll also see it in advertising, in some books with fancier formatting, and a whole bunch of other places.

    So remember not only “left to right” but “top to bottom” and you’ll do fine.

    • lugal@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      73·
      6 months ago

      I, too, had problems reading Bones’ question. I read it as “Can you symptoms describe the”. I still don’t get it, “symptoms” is further the the left than “describe”. This is all very confusing for me.

    • Spuddlesv2@lemmy.caEnglish
      15·
      6 months ago

      I am astounded at how easily you are flummoxed. Life must be a constant struggle for you. I’m glad you found a way to respond to a remark that was not made to you, nor about you, and that you did so with such aplomb. If I wore a hat, I would tip it.

      Now, as an exercise, go and read it the way I did and tell me, honestly, knowing that the internet is full of barely coherent attempts at humour, could you, in any way, despite your mind bogglingly deep knowledge into the art forms of comics and memes, have read it the wrong way around and, for just a moment, a tiny moment, the tiniest of moments, have thought the joke made no sense? And now, look at the comment I replied to, and see if you can see the subtle context in which my reply was made. Well done, maybe you just learned something new today.