When fieldworking in the midwest
It’s advisable to wear a vest
But in busy New York
Where dialects fork
The Sopranos means kevlar is best.
—Col. O. Nihilist
There once was a scholar named Gandhi,
Who studied Sanskrit at Bhiwandi.
To learn phonology
He went down to the sea,
And his consonants ended up sandhi.
—Pete Bleackley
Parvus Jacobus Horner
Sedebat in corner, (edens a Christmas pie)
Inseruit his thumb,
Extrahit a plum,
Clamans, “Quid smart puer am I!”
—P. Ublekkdeaux Meign
Syntacticians in search of new data,
Forayed to some fieldwork locata.
Though the languages there
Had case markers to spare,
They found nary a trace of a θ.
—Morris Swadesh III
There once was a linguist named Shlomo
Who started to study Oromo.
He ended a critic
Of all things Cushitic
And wishes to think of it no mo’.
—Pumptilian Perniquity
Numblemark ordinard dangulates—
Graskily honologimacates;
Empounges trahammary,
Chomskilliogrammary—
Rammative soundenounsultingtates!
—Esquiry dis Thasigh
