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2

I've often come across some weird grammar structures like, say, instead of

All of your commas belong to Array.

it is

All your commas are belong to Array.

I mean seriously, is that some kind of joke grammar? (Because I see that usage all the time I'd thought it's actually proper grammar!)

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1 Answer

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This is a variation on / reference to the "All your base are belong to us" meme.

enter image description here

"All your base are belong to us" [...] is a broken English phrase that became an Internet phenomenon or meme in 2000–2002. [...] The text comes from the opening cutscene of [...] the video game Zero Wing, which was poorly translated from Japanese.

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h2g2 is generally better written than Wikipedia, so I always prefer to link there when possible. It has a good article on this subject at bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A19147205. – TRiG May 17 '11 at 16:54
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h2g2 is "an unconventional guide to life, the universe, and everything", in the spirit of the fictional publication The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - for those who were wondering. Personally, I wouldn't assign it much credibility. – JYelton May 17 '11 at 17:52
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Though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, h2g2 scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects. First, the entries are slightly shorter; and second, the pages of h2g2 are generally free of eerie pictures of Jimmy Wales. – Jason Orendorff May 18 '11 at 1:21
@JYelton, If you notice any errors, please let us know. Either tell me, and I'll pass it on, or post to bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/Feedback-Editorial. Unlike Wikipedia, nothing gets into the Edited Guide without passing through Peer Review. It's probably more reliable than the 'Pedia. Anyone can write about anything, but articles marked as "Edited Guide Entry" have been through a formal approval process and are pretty reliable. – TRiG May 18 '11 at 9:54
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I've never arrived at h2g2 using search engines on the web, but frequently see first-page Wikipedia results. As to why, this sentence, from Wikipedia's entry on the fictional guide, explains: "[h2g2]'s creation predates Wikipedia by two years, though several commentators have noted the similarities between Wikipedia and the Hitchhiker's Guide, particularly its wild variance in reliability and quality and its tendency to focus on topics of interest to its writers." – JYelton May 18 '11 at 15:24
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