It's as easy as an eyebrow raise. It's a hand gesture, a word, an expression or a shrug. It's the ability to finish someone elses sentences or be non-specific. I've had many conversations that sound like complete nonsense. "You know, that place with the thing...the one where the guy looked at you..." It can tell a whole story yet leaves anyone else in the dark.
Each person has their own version of shorthand. And it varies from person to person, relationship to relationship.
With D, a simple glance will share volumes. That comes from years of friendship.
With Kevin, it's a word or an expression. It has grown over the years of living side by side."Dem tings" is a reference to a movie and we can never guess when it will pop into a conversation.
With my brothers, it can be antagonistic or sympathetic. A stuck out tongue when they get called to do a chore and I don't. An eye roll when you hear those parent-specific gems during the holidays. A shoulder-shrug when the parents are being particularly frustrating.
Sometimes it's just a word. I could say "crows" to B right now and he'd probably start laughing.
And sometimes it's just impromptu...a stream of consciousness that burst forth without preamble yet it makes sense to the person you're with.
Shorthand is a source of comfort. That moment shared between two people sometimes without a word being said. It is grown over years of connection, friendship, and love.
2 comments:
I think this is so interesting. I always think about generational language and how adapting and evolving the way a language is spoken is a way to tie together a generation and help it form its own identity. But I love the idea on an individual level too.
I love this. My sister and I have always had a special language like this. "mega" is our word for anything bad and there's a zillion more. anyway love the blog. found you on blogher btw.
Post a Comment