Bob,
You are absolutely right that the joke is racist; however, the humor is based on an interesting aspect of grammar that Haj Ross called sloppy identity.
Let's use a better example. (1) has two meanings.
1) I love my wife and so does Bill.
The first meaning has to do with the elided verb phrase being indexed the same way as the first.
2) I love my wife and Bill loves his wife.
However, the second meaning (and the source of the joke) is that the elided verb phrase is EXACTLY the same as the first.
3) I love my wife and Bill loves my wife.
The interesting question for those on this list is what does this property of English (and I assume all languages) reveal about the nature of language. This property of language reveals that meaning is not strictly related to grammar, but crucial requires a context (or pragmatic) component.
Bob Yates, University of Central Missouri
>>> "Miller, Robert" <[log in to unmask]> 02/17/10 7:43 AM >>>
Besides finding this incredibly racist (my wife is Chinese), the joke is
so old and been done in as many countries as I have/had had had had
travelled to in my small amount of globetrotting. How about leaving this
to grammar?!?
Bob Miller
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brad Johnston
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 7:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Understanding Plain English
Hung Chow calls his boss and says, 'Hey, I no come wok today, I really
sick. Got headache, stomach ache and legs hurt. I no come wok.'
The boss says, 'You know something, Hung Chow, I really need you today.
When I feel sick like you do, I go to my wife and tell her to give me
sex. That makes everything better and I go to work. You try that.'
Two hours later Hung Chow calls again. 'I do what you say and I feel
great. I be at wok soon. You got nice house.
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