To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered - Voltaire
Слаб человек, и все ему можно простить, кроме хамства - Александр Блок
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Nerd/Dork/Geek/Dweeb Venn diagram
This beautiful Venn diagram (via cema) explains the meaning of four important terms (I am not sure though that "dweebs" are still in circulation):
I think that it's not too accurate (not that I am a native speaker). At least, it does not quite agree (I think) with that quotation from Golden Girls:
Dorothy: Oh, so if a student pays attention, works hard, and gets good grades, does that make him a geek?
Kevin: Um, no, that would make him a dork. A geek is more like, you know, somebody who has no friends and is always staying home on a Saturday night, their nose buried in a book.
Well, let's see, it seems to be harder than I thought. So Kevin's definition would move Geek to Nerd's place in the diagram, right? And if you interpret Dorothy's description of her student as including some Social Ineptitude (in the eyes of fellow students), that would mean moving Dork to Dweeb's place, right?
I am not sure though the writers of Golden Girls were of the right age to get it right!
I actually would move Geek to Dweeb's place. (I find the placing of Dork appropriate: Dorothy's model can be imagined without much intelligence, - just memorizing stuff, sort of.)
Caveat: not a native speaker. Dweeb is pretty much a swearword which is not used very much. I would not consider someone called a dweeb particularly intelligent, though I suppose they would likely be socially inept. I'd move Dweeb straight into the socially inept box, not intersecting anything else.
Leo: you are native enough for me! Leaving aside Dweeb, which seems to be obsolete anyway, my gut feeling is also that the diagram is accurate for other three terms.
My daughter when asked to comment on this diagram said: "I don't know. I am too nerdish to judge". So at least for the nerd part the diagram seems to be accurate :)
9 comments:
I think that it's not too accurate (not that I am a native speaker). At least, it does not quite agree (I think) with that quotation from Golden Girls:
Dorothy: Oh, so if a student pays attention, works hard, and gets good grades, does that make him a geek?
Kevin: Um, no, that would make him a dork. A geek is more like, you know, somebody who has no friends and is always staying home on a Saturday night, their nose buried in a book.
Well, let's see, it seems to be harder than I thought. So Kevin's definition would move Geek to Nerd's place in the diagram, right? And if you interpret Dorothy's description of her student as including some Social Ineptitude (in the eyes of fellow students), that would mean moving Dork to Dweeb's place, right?
I am not sure though the writers of Golden Girls were of the right age to get it right!
I actually would move Geek to Dweeb's place. (I find the placing of Dork appropriate: Dorothy's model can be imagined without much intelligence, - just memorizing stuff, sort of.)
Теперь я буду знать, кто такой dweeb!
Я всё-таки предпочитаю подождать подтверждения собственных детей (если снизойдут, конечно).
Caveat: not a native speaker.
Dweeb is pretty much a swearword which is not used very much. I would not consider someone called a dweeb particularly intelligent, though I suppose they would likely be socially inept. I'd move Dweeb straight into the socially inept box, not intersecting anything else.
Everything else I'd agree with.
By the way, I self-identify as a geek.
Leo: you are native enough for me! Leaving aside Dweeb, which seems to be obsolete anyway, my gut feeling is also that the diagram is accurate for other three terms.
My daughter when asked to comment on this diagram said: "I don't know. I am too nerdish to judge". So at least for the nerd part the diagram seems to be accurate :)
Ok, let's accept it.
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