Language

Apparently, Canadians say certain words with a funny accent. It's disconcerting to tell a story and lose the train of thought because everyone is doubled over laughing at your word choices. It was all in good fun with no maliciousness but it did make me hyper-conscious of words.

As a result, I took my time speaking and worked around trigger words (out, about, neighbour and colour even though the u is silent in the latter two). My awareness expanded. I realized how lazy we've become in our speech. We rely on the same group of words and patterns in our everyday speech. Text speak has invaded our vocalizations. I embarrassed to admit I actually said LOL instead of laughing the one day.

Language is fluid. It grows, changes and corrects course all the time. Even churches are moving away from Latin in an effort to reach younger parishioners. It's natural to resist the changes if you're from an older generation and eager to embrace them if you're younger.

In the meantime,I'll take my Canadian accent outside to walk about the neighbourhood.