Monday July 7, 2003
Book 3: Under New Management — Part III: Board of Accidental Tourism

Transcript

Narrator: Meanwhile, a pair of natives are hunting.
Narrator: Their spoken language is primitive, but it's language nonetheless.
Native 1: Hrmble na na orfl
Narrator: A literal translation of this would read "Family stick-stick food."
Narrator: Contextually, however, the meaning is much deeper. For starters, the pitch at which it was spoken indicates a firm belief or truth, while the facial expression of the speaker instead conveys a feeling of disbelief. This juxtaposition is followed by what amounts to a laugh. Thus, a full translation reads: "I am so sure your new atlatl is going to feed the family."
Narrator: Who are we to call them primitive? I mean, they have already discovered Sarcasm.
Native 2: