Words........and the Lack Thereof

Either our little ice age has come to an end, or we are experiencing a fortuitous warming spell. Whichever the trend, today (Saturday) it warmed up to near 40F as the sun came out in full photonic force! A great day for a walk through the land of Vitamin D.


The Weighted Pause
The Swedes are impressively polylinguistical, so speaking Swedish is not really necessary. They also have a forgiving demeanor, so butchered pronunciation is not something to be too ashamed of. Nej, as it appears to me, the most basic and critical component of the Swedish language is not what is said, but what is not said. Precisely, the weighted pause.
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At first, I assumed the conversation had lost momentum and I butted in frequently and (relatively) rudely. Politeness is ample and nothing was said. After I identified the repetitious existence of this pause, I interpreted it as an intentional hesitance to continue the discussion. This was even more incorrect than the first.
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It seems to be a necessary component of any thoughtful, sober conversation: a moment, or five, to reflect on the topic within one's own mind. They are discrete zen moments embedded throughout a pensive exchange.
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The more advanced level of comprehension occurs when you can identify which individuals in a group are waiting while one individual pauses; the spoon is retained, though all are equally silent.
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Nattar
Literal definition: to put ones children to bed.
[naht-tar]
Interesting how one word encompasses such a specific, yet common, act. I have difficulty finding a corollary in the English language.



Kölvringa
The word means piston ring in a specific dialect (I have been told, at least). The pronunciation of this word required recitation over the better part of a day--and is now an inside joke because of it. The task was not made easier by the fact that the Swedish language has three additional letters compared to English: å, ä, and ö. Interestingly, they appear at the end of the alphabet, not adjacent to their more common counterpart letter. For example, in the dictionary the word "färsk" (fresh) comes after the word "fullkorn" (whole grain). Back to pronouncing piston ring.
[kor'lv_rrin-ya]
The "or" should pronounced right in between "curl" and "coal".
The apostrophe denotes a tripping of the tongue like a staccato pause.
Underscored for an extended pause, almost as if you are beginning a separate word.
Double "r"s represent a trill or rolling.
And the "g" is so soft it becomes a "y" as it inflects back around towards the "a".
[kor'lv_rrin-ya]
[kor'lv_rrin-ya]