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SWEETS

What’s  truly amazing about language is that two people who have spoken English all their life can have a conversation... and completely misunderstand one another. There are many reasons for this, but I’m going to explore just one aspect I’ve observed in recent years: little words from subcultures.

While living in Gig Harbor, Washington in the summer of 2013, I had occasion to interact with a lot of Washingtonian families. One term of endearment I heard in many households was “sweets.” I’d never heard it used as a loving pet name previously, but now I’ve adopted it into my own vernacular.

I grew up calling a religious building a “church.” My husband’s family calls it a “ward.”

My friend Kelsey and her family call teeny tiny things “smallish bear.”

And the true kings of making up words and adopting them into their own subculture, my brothers say to each other, “Shummanatinka—oh—ah—chi.”
I’ll be honest, I’ve yet to learn what that word means in its entirety. They use it in many, many varieties of circumstances.

What words have you heard in English and not understood? Add them in the comment section below!

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  1. I was subbing for a kindergarten class here in Minnesota and while they were lining up to go to lunch some of the kids were yelling that others had “budged” them. I was so confused until I realized that “budged” meant “cut” or “butt” to in line. I actually like their word better! 😂

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    1. Oh I love this!! Haha what a fun word :) Funny how people in our same country have their own words for things we'd never heard of. Thanks for sharing hermanita :)

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