Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale
A tale of renown
That started in this tropic place
Within this tiny town…
That started in this tropic place
Within this tiny town…
And so, last night, amid cheers and clapping, the theme song from Gilligan’s Island kicked off the second of three linguistic skit nights, a hallmark of SIL-UND summers. Even the reclusive thesis students turn out for an evening of linguistic jokes that make you laugh until you start crying. Some themes re-occur year after year, such as the presence of beards on linguists (it’s a strange phenomenon…), the preponderance of couples that emerge by the end of the summer (eHarmonics, anyone?), and, of course, the kalot. (You don’t know what a kalot is? Well, it’s not a bathrobe…)
Skit nights typically occur three times a year, put on by the returning students, the new students, and the staff consecutively. The jokes get progressively wackier and wackier as the summer continues (I will refrain from attempting any explanation…). Music, video-skills, acting, dancing, and even cheerleading towers are all worked into a hilarious hour that provides a welcome respite from homework.
Last night, in the new students’ skit night, even Monty Python and the Holy Grail made an appearance in a parody on the Knights who Say Nee (but these particular knights say words from their phonetic lists, such as [aβaβkʰaβi] )
My first year, the Elvis favorite, Here Comes Santa Clause, turned into Here Comes SuperClause:
The plethora of rabbits that scatter across campus inspired the following video one year:
(You can see more videos from SIL 2009 Skit Nights HERE)
After all, even linguistic students need to have fun!
