You know that (semi-apocryphal) concept that the Inuit have 50 words for snow? I say “kind of apocryphal” because they don’t actually have 50 words for snow, and linguistics experts consider the concept an exaggerated myth. But the language is descriptive of snow in ways that other languages aren’t — for example, they have different words for snow in the air (qanik) and snow on the air (aput) — and for good reason: snow is a primary fact and experience of life in the far North. And more generally, doesn’t it make sense that the language we use reflects the everyday, lived experience of living where are our feet are? Language is a mirror.
Think about something you love. It could be your dog, the flora in your neighborhood, a favorite pastime. Now think about the wide web of words you use for just that one niche area. For me, with writing: blank page, blinking cursor, caps lock, return, redline, draft, v1.0, red ink, margins, scansion, meter, apostrophe, anthropomorphosis, muses, allusion, comma, asterism, delete, ampersand, line break, page break. I could go on and on but these words are always at the ready for me. They shapeshift into easy metaphor. They course through my everyday practice. They give me hooks and shortcuts when communicating with editors, other writers. I could talk about them, to them, with them all day long. So the Inuit may not have 50 words for snow but I guarantee they talk a lot more about snow, its condition, its imminence or persistence than all of us closer to the equator. And for, me too. I might not have 50 words for the blank page, but I’m running up and down its margins with adjacent words all week long.
I’m curious today — would you share some of the deeply niche or local words you use for practices or places you love? This could be as simple as five names for plants that you use routinely that may be alien to those of us who don’t live in your neck of the woods. Or could be abbreviations or shorthand you use routinely in a narrow type of work or pastime (for runners: taper, doms, PR/PB, LSD, BQ; for skiers: powder, groomer, carving, glades). And then of course there is an entire encylcopedia of abridgments and patois for the book lover: DNF, HEA, HFN, enemies-to-lovers.
Take a minute to dress something you love in all your words for it. A fun way to limber up for the weekend — and just another way of noticing.
Post-Scripts.
+English and the great “or maybes.“
+What words do you avoid? (Interesting comments!)
Shopping Break.
+A perfect pair of white jeans. Imagine with this perfect striped top.
+Did you see Tory Burch released their Romy series in fun new materials for summer, including raffia and canvas?!
+Swooning over this Ulla J. new arrival, and all my latest Shopbop hearts here.
+A great cotton sweater — under $50 and in the perfect shade of shell pink.
+Crisp button-down in white or stripe.
+In my cart right now: this bikini.
+Reminder: 30% off these well-reviewed t-shirt bras! (And the entire site — use code SAVE30). Anxiously awaiting mine!
+Tuckernuck new arrivals to swoon over: these striped shorts and this tile print dress.
+How gorgeous are these suede clutches for spring? Under $150! Hermes vibe!
+Ordered my son these cute map-print shorts. Also ordered him a few of these great performance polos in solids and stripes — perfect for tennis, golf, and my son just loves to wear them all around. Last find while you’re there: cutest bandana print swim trunks.
+So far the best seller from the Sephora sale among us: this Cyklar body cream. ELITE. Best consistency, packed with skincare-grade ingredients, and the scent is divine.
+Fun woven flats at a great price.
+These everyday pants are right up my alley but selling very fast.
+CLASSIC striped dress.
+These paillette heels!
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These comments here make my current “bedtime read” spring to mind; Jen, I feel you might already have read Braiding Sweetgrass? It is a deeply beautiful work, and so focused on knowing and understanding our surroundings in an intimate way (among many other ideas). If you haven’t yet read it, I think you would enjoy it!
Ooh this sounds right up my alley — thanks for sharing! I love the emphasis on knowing your immediate surroundings — really living where your feet are. Thank you! xx
I live in Philadelphia, and there is a very regional-specific word that’s the opposite of what you’re describing. Rather than having multiple words to describe one thing, there is one word here that can describe literally anything. It’s “jawn” and it can refer to any person, place, or thing. And yet, somehow the context is always clear. I’m not from here originally so I still get a kick out of hearing people say it! Here’s the full story if you’re curious… https://www.merriam-webster.com/slang/jawn
This is FASCINATING. I love this local tidbit! I wish we had something this all-purpose down here!
xx
It’s not exactly the same thing, but it made me think about how in French, they don’t really have a term for guilty pleasure, but use “péché mignon” which is more literally translatable as “a cute sin”. It says something about how the French understand the concept of pleasure compared to English speakers.
Also the French concept of “terroir”, and how the land provides a sense of place and deeply influences food and wine, is not really something we have ingrained in our American sensibilities.
Ooh I love this detail about the peche mignon — it really does highlight a cultural difference / cultural perspective.
Re: terroir, have you heard the neologism “merroir”? The same idea but for the sea, i.e., the merroir of an oyster reflects its provenance!
xx
What a fun exercise! I can share countless niche words from the world of ballet and dance. These come to mind immediately: bunheads, barre, stage legs, sprung floor, “merde”(a backstage offering for good luck, never ever “break a leg”!), turn-out (a much-needed ability to turn out the leg from the hip to master the five positions), and fish-dive (a daring partnering movement that always garners much applause!
PS Loving your book!
Oooh these are so good! “Merde” and fish-dive! Who knew?!
xx
Jen, have you seen the Canadian show North of North? I really enjoyed this comedy and the Inuit style is completely swoon.
As for words, the one that came instantly to my mind is crunchy. As a cellist, there is nothing better than a good “crunchy” bow with the perfect amount of rosin for a good grip.
I haven’t seen that show – thanks for the rec! Added to my list.
I’d never heard “crunchy” before! This is amazing!
xx
I love wildflowers and their names: mariposa lily, Balsam root, death camas, spring beauty, bunchberry, star-flowered Solomon’s seal, prairie crocus etc. I remember so many names which are specific to flowers in the Rocky Mountains that many people just walk by (or on!)
Someone tried to convince me once to refer to them by their Latin name because the same plant can have a variety of common names, ie. blanket flower/gallardia. But I love the fun of the common names. For example, Old-Man’s-Whiskers, blue-bearded tongue or bastard toadflax are names that just bring me joy.
This comment spoke to my heart – I love this! There is a great poem by Linda Pastan about this, about how we “domesticate” flowers/nature by giving them super ordinary / descriptive names that are contextual to us as humans. I thought that was so interesting, and there just felt like a lot of creative space to explore around that theme of naming.
Thanks for sharing these ultra-poetic names!!
xx