As the great anthropological linguist (or linguistical
anthropologist) W. van O. Quine discovered, over the course of a lifetime of
exhaustive research in the field, most native peoples around the world exclaim
“Gavagai!” when they spot a
rabbit.
What they mean by
this is radically indeterminate:
Some are identifying the specimen as of the family Leporidae; others are coolly assessing an
instantaneous leporiform manifestation in the Earth’s configuration-space,
while remaining quite agnostic as to the ultimate taxonomic status of said
apparition; still others are not
attempting to communicate anything at all, but simply reveling within
themselves (though the vocable escaped their lips) at the lovely, furry vision;
others yet … But I digress: for the stimulus-meaning is
the same for all: Mr. Cottontail
manifests himself, and the masses cry, “Gavagai!”
The settled practice of Doctor Justice differs significantly
from this. The stimulus-meaning of his resultant
utterance is again, apodictically, the same; the syllables used in response, however, differ: being:
“Bunnybunnybunnybunnybunnybunnybunnybunny!”
(this uttered while crouching, and making pleading come-hither motions).
And the meaning is:
‘Thank you, Lord, for rabbits.’
Are you sure Gavagai doesn't mean Lunch?
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