Language, what?

“For crying in the sink!” and “Good greifinhimmer!” These are just a couple of fun sayings by my supervisor, Megan. Add to this the fact that when she laughs it sounds like someone is tickling her. She has a silly sense of humeor and is a real hoot!

We all say things at times that are so uniquely us, or at least out of place to others. For instance Megan is from upstate New York and for all I know these could be very common saying there, but here not so much. I find myself saying, “Holy molie canoli!” Not real sure where this came from, since it doesn’t seem common here and wasn’t common when I lived in Texas. Not to mention that this phrase mixes Hispanic and Italian culinary arts. It’s just crazy!

Language is such a funny thing, not to mention the English language in particular. English spelling is just flat out insane. A millions rules and a million exceptions to them all! It’s no wonder I can’t spell worth anything. But, the language does give you room to express yourself. I remember my grandmother describing her longing for something as a hunger, like being hungry for spring. That twist, gave her longing more intensity and suggest an actual physical response.

Here in the Pacific Northwest you will see signs in construction zones that say, “Caution: Abrupt edge”. I had not seen this phrasing before moving here, and it struck me funny the first time I saw it because it seemed for formal and proper. I also noticed signs that said, “Ahead Rec Veh Park”. I remember wondering what kind of organization Rec Veh was that they could sponsor so many parks. I mentioned this to a friend, who laughed and told me Rec Veh was short for recreational vehicles. Well, duh, it seems crazy obvious once I was told, but you know a couple of periods would have been good clues that these were abbreviations!