Lost in Translation

England is not a great culture shock from North America. No, not so much of a shock, more of a small tremble. Not noticed every day or all the time but it is pervasive and off-kiltering. Where I felt it the strongest was with everyday communication with British people. I think because there is the assumption that we are speaking the same language therefore we should never be at a loss of understanding. As you might guess, this is not the case. Turns out there are different words used for recognizable items makes one have to assess a situation a moment longer than might be necessary on home turf.

After 2 years of living in England, however, my ears had grown used to the English flowerly, descriptive, anecdotal speech. Since moving back to Canada I have found myself missing some of these words that, although known, are not in regular use in the North American vernacular. Here are a few off the top of my head in no particular order.

whilst 
     conjunction \ˈhwī(-ə)lst, ˈwī(-ə)lst\
Def. while

bespoke
     adjective be·spoke \bi-ˈspōk, bē-\
Def. made to order

ephemeral
     adjective ephem·er·al \i-ˈfem-rəl, -ˈfēm-; -ˈfe-mə-, -ˈfē-\
Def. lasting a very short time

alight
     verb \ə-ˈlīt\
Def. to come down from something (as a vehicle) as disembark, dismount, deplane

moreish
     adjective /ˈmɔː.rɪʃ/
Def. so pleasant to eat one wants more

twee
     adjective \ˈtwē\
Def. sweet or cute in a way that is silly or sentimental

missive
     noun mis·sive \ˈmi-siv\
Def. a letter or other written message



Although this post could have been part of this month's travel linkup hosted by Emma, Rebecca, and Kelly (check out the other links added) due to a lack of inspiration, procrastination, and technical difficulties I did not link up. 


Definitions found mostly from Merriam-Webster online dictionary