“nobody:” indicates that in the kid’s perception, the split up was out of the blue. The “nobody:” formulation indicates a moment of initial silence, or of everything being fine. The contrast of initial silence/everything seeming ok, and a dramatic break up of one’s parents adds an extra layer of drama and comedy to the situation. It serves a purpose.
It’s funnier to imagine it like “nobody said anything” or “nobody said nothing”, it kind of implies a casual delivery, it answers a question of how it all started
“nobody:” indicates that in the kid’s perception, the split up was out of the blue. The “nobody:” formulation indicates a moment of initial silence, or of everything being fine. The contrast of initial silence/everything seeming ok, and a dramatic break up of one’s parents adds an extra layer of drama and comedy to the situation. It serves a purpose.
What I don’t get, is why wouldn’t it be everybody? Everybody was silent like everything this is normal
I do appreciate the explanation
It’s funnier to imagine it like “nobody said anything” or “nobody said nothing”, it kind of implies a casual delivery, it answers a question of how it all started
Point well made it’s so obvious now that you point it out! Buncha pedants, the lot of us.