Lessons and Language from Abroad

One of the many advantages of travel is that you find out the cultural "rules" in your life are products of a specific time and place, not nearly as omnipresent as one might suspect. Witness the French nonchalance about the Red Light District in Paris, for example, and while I'm sure there are many more, I don't have anything but anecdotal data to go on.

My own experience on this came two years ago on a little hill in France called "Taize." There, English is the universal language, but the very low % of native English speakers means that "Taize English" deviates in a few ways, thanks to the surrounding French lanaguage influence:

Examples:

The "Washing Up" - It's never cleaning, its the washing up.

"Permanent" - Directly from the French noun, a permanent is a on-location volunteer here for a longer basis.

"Responsible" - A noun, meaning the person who is in charge. The Responsible is responsible.

"Animation" - Fun, kid's play, activities

"Close" - to turn off, to deactivate, to end

"Brooming" - Sweeping, for people who learn the word broom and don't see the point in learning a different verb.