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Tag: language

  • Lesser Than Polished: Language is a wonderful thing

    By Tracy Schruder


    The way we speak is important, but the way we write must lean heavily on perfection. I grew up thinking I knew how to communicate “properly,” only to realize later that my everyday speech was a patchwork of English slang.

    English is one of the most complex languages on the planet. It’s extremely difficult to teach a foreign learner the full gamut of words, especially when the same word can have different meanings. Spelling, grammar, punctuation – noun, pronoun, verb – all add layers. It’s hard to explain that a “verb sandwich” isn’t something we eat, but a sandwich is something we eat.

    My own linguistic skills have improved as my writing career has expanded. As a kid I was taught to speak in English slang: “git” instead of “get,” “sopping” instead of “soaking,” “pretty” for “really” (e.g., “pretty scared”). I’d say “pernt‑near” instead of “almost” – “I pernt‑near tripled over that log.”

    My early school work (grades 2‑4) was atrocious. My language was called “hick” because other kids didn’t talk like me. Friends asked if I had an accent or spoke a different language. “More sophisticated” people said my speaking skills were “less than polished.” I had no idea what that meant. Polished is something we do to silver or fancy cars – make them shiny. My mind was closed; I couldn’t see how to polish my speech.

    That changed when I started writing. I quickly realized my writing reflected my talking. We write our stories from our perspective, in the language we know – correct or not. I churned out a few less‑than‑polished works with little success. Rereading them, I couldn’t see the problem until I started to read for real.

    I fell in love with reading. I don’t read everything – only what catches my interest. If a book doesn’t serve a purpose or stir something emotionally, I let it go. I don’t waste time feeding my brain alphabet soup just to say I “read that.”

    These days I’m hooked on spiritual and self‑improvement books. I’m always amazed at how many different writers find themselves and share their stories. I’ve tried many of their techniques and haven’t found one that didn’t somehow benefit my life.

    I deeply enjoy reading. I love to write. I’m swept away by its allure. I haven’t picked a niche yet – I’m still a curious, creative person with a passionate desire to create entertaining, interesting content. I’m learning all I can about writing, but knowledge only takes me so far.

    So I’ve decided to put the learning aside and dive into the black waters of the unknown. I believe I’m ready to unleash my own destiny, using the English language as best I can – even if it starts out less than polished.

  • The Secret Language of Siblings

    By Tracy Schruder

    Growing up in a blended family with two older stepsisters, I often felt like I lived in a world of my own. My mom’s focus on us all but my older sisters, needed a bit more tenderness and attention. My mom always felt a sense of responsibility to overcompensate with them, due to the fact that they came from a broken home. This sometimes created a sense of separation between us.

    As the younger siblings, my brother, sister, and I were left out of certain things, that ‘had nothing to do with us.’ So we were told and it usually ended up being about them going somewhere or getting something that we would all like but weren’t, for some reason, entitled to it. We learned how to survive this, without much guidance. We were pretty tough and accepting of the dynamics as we didn’t know anything different

    The distance between my older sisters and us was obvious. They’d ignore us, swat us away, take our things without asking or tattle on us to our mom. In school , they acted like they didn’t know us. Their behaviour was hurtful but we learned to roll with the punches.

    Me and my sister

    However, in response to this dynamic, my siblings and I found our own joy we even developed our own secret language called Pig Latin. It goes something like this; you add extra letters and repetitive endings to words, creating a coded way to communicate that was all our own.

    😁

    An example of Pig Latin – Hidaguy , howdagow aredagar youdagoo? ( Hi, how are you? ) 🤷‍♀️ 😆

    It was our way of asserting independence and having fun, right under the noses of our older siblings and parents.

    Mom

    My mom would chuckle and call us “silly little children” when we’d speak in Pig Latin. Little did she know, we were often discussing the intricacies of our family dynamics or venting about our living situation. Plus we never wanted to hurt anyones feelings, it was a great way to vent frustrations to each other.

    As we’ve grown older, this secret language has become an ingrained part of our sibling bond. We still use it today, and it never fails to infuriate our older sisters and provoke intense belly laughter 😂.

    Looking back, I’m grateful for this quirky aspect of our childhood. It’s a reminder that even in the most challenging family situations, we can find ways to create our own sense of identity and connection. Our secret language may have started as a way to cope with our differences, but it’s evolved into a lasting bond that brings us joy and closeness.

    🙏

    Do you have a secret language that you share only with your click?