L U N A T A L K with Eva Moon

Zombiespeak: A Linguistic Analysis

July 5, 2009 on 8:11 am | | In General Musing

The phenomenon of “Dudespeak” is well-known. According to Urban Dictionary it’s “The language or mode of conversation that includes, but is not limited to, use of the ever-evolving term, “dude.” Meaning and connotations of the word “dude” depend on the circumstances and tone and attitude of the dudespeaker.

“Dude.” (Hello, friend. Here, have some nutella)
“Duuude.” (Hey, this nutella is amazing)
“…dude?” (Um…where the hell do you think you’re going with my nutella?)
“DUDE!” (Get AWAY from my nutella!)

So I started thinking, is Dudespeak linguistically unique? Are there any other populations where language has devolved to little more than a single word? The answer is yes: Zombies. If you conduct an analysis of Zombie semantics, you will find that while not limited to the single word, “brains” is so central to the Zombie lexicon that one can have entire conversations consisting of nothing else:

“Brains!” (Hello, friend. What’s going on?)

“…brains?” (I’m struggling with the existential dilemma of being undead. What do you think?)

“BRAAAAAAIIIIINSS.” (Existence precedes essence, ergo life is a prerequisite for self-definition. Without either true life or true death, the question is moot. Let it go, my friend.)

“Brainssss.” (Yeah, I guess so.)

“BRAAins.” (Hey, you just dropped a lung.)

“Brainsss.” (Oh, thanks, man. See ya.)

“Brains.” (Bye!)

(Happy Birthday, Alan!)

See more like that one:

• National Wax
• Tap...tap...tap... is this thing on?
• Lying Eyes
• Parking Fail
• Freedom!