Brevity is wit?

arks · 2011-01-12 07:37:41

Who says?

Ponicalica · 2011-01-12 09:18:40

Shakespeare?

arks · 2011-01-12 09:32:41

He's gay.

Longfellow · 2011-01-12 10:48:55

Ironically you're briefer than Shakespeare, who said brevity is the soul of wit.

Gelzo · 2011-01-12 11:14:22

I think the full line was "Brevity is the soul of wit."

The shortening of the line is just hilarious.

LouieW · 2011-01-12 11:59:30

I have a huge amount of bias here because I have problems being brief, but I think the idea that "brevity is wit" is exaggerated. While I agree in some respects, I also think that brevity can lead to snark and saying things that are more easily misinterpreted.

I realize I am kind of going off-topic here.

Ponicalica · 2011-01-12 13:02:48

«Ironically you're briefer than Shakespeare, who said brevity is the soul of wit.»

I considered mentioning that, but decided that the question deserved a one-word answer.

Gelzo · 2011-01-12 18:04:23

The number of words you produce isn't necessarily indicative of how well you're communicating.

Pykrete · 2011-01-12 18:33:10

OP: No.

thatguythere47 · 2011-01-12 18:54:14

This business is well ended.
My liege, and madam, to expostulate
What majesty should be, what duty is,
Why day is day, night night, and time is time,
Were nothing but to waste night, day and time.
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,
And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,
I will be brief: your noble son is mad:
Mad call I it; for, to define true madness,
What is't but to be nothing else but mad?
But let that go.

I fucking love Polonius.

DonZabu · 2011-01-12 19:10:57

"It just means don't waste my time. You keep it nice and simple."

-Mr. Plinkett

TheyCallMeTomu · 2011-01-12 19:28:34

Whatever.

TheyCallMeTomu · 2011-01-12 19:29:03

Shakespeare never wrote Haiku.

glennmagusharvey · 2011-01-12 20:56:14

"Brevity is wit."
No, it is the soul of wit.
"STFU noob"

Gelzo · 2011-01-12 21:06:57

You know the form of haiku is based on moras, not syllables?

If you don't know what they are. (I'm not sure I can understand what they would be like in English. I think they're easier to recognize in Japanese.) Wikipedia quoted someone who described them as “Something of which a long syllable consists of two and a short syllable consists of one.”

"Touhou" has 4 moras.

Gelzo · 2011-01-12 21:15:55

Technically it's not an alphabet, but a syllabary.

I'm not sure if your post was a question, but small tsus and glides count as moras. "kyu" is one, but "kku" is two.

Gelzo · 2011-01-12 21:21:10

Oh, I forgot to mention that "n" (ん) is also a separate mora.

It goes Ni-p-po-n.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mora_(linguistics)

glennmagusharvey · 2011-01-12 22:23:18

Are there any multisyllabic moras?

Khwarizmi · 2011-01-13 08:47:35

Syllabic haiku have been written in English for a long time, so I think they ought to count as a legitimate poetic form by now.

Gelzo · 2011-01-13 10:41:43

Sure, it's just different from the original way.

snowbull · 2011-01-13 21:20:28

inb4 "Adaptations are never better than the original".

Ponicalica · 2011-01-14 21:09:37

snowbull · 2011-01-15 00:19:42

Oh god, I love that video. Thanks for linking it.

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