I am fascinated by how language evolves in these little pockets we put ourselves in. From our jobs, our schools, clubs, and teams emerge phrases that are understandable, on their surface, but have a larger meaning in their usage and structure.
In my current role as a production assistant in a scientific research facility, I've had to learn a new use for many words and phrases and, in some cases, learned the proper pronunciation. I'm looking at you muon. Myou-on, not moo-on. Science has no regard for my Canadian pronunciation of the letter u.
Phrases from my past bubble up sometimes. When I'm in the groove, flowing, the cultures of my past lives hover at the edges. I've worked as a cook for years and as a filmmaker among other professions. I mention those two because they are lousy with unique terminologies and phrases.
A restaurant kitchen operates at a pace that requires a refinement of language that borders on encryption. Everything gets shortened beyond recognition. It's not terribly difficult to learn and it gets practiced daily so it will get drilled into your psyche pretty fast.
In the kitchen I managed, there was a single printer and between two and five people who needed the info from that printer. Communicating that fell on the first line cook. Their role was to keep organized the rate food would leave the kitchen so they would announce a list of food to prepare at certain intervals. It is utter nonsense to the uninitiated. In their biggest voice they would call, "can I get a c-fett, a parm, an M.R., three dippers and fries, fries for two, a dinner, a lunch, eight subs, and twenty-three." All generally meaningful and common words, but without context they lose all meaning. And without a doubt, you aren't the only one lost. Many a competent cook can't keep all that in their head. They would get halfway through starting all that, realise they didn't memorize it all, and ask to repeat. They would look countingly at all this random food around them and ask for an 'all-day,' my favourite phrase from that life. Can I get an all-day? I'm lost over here, what's your all-day? Shit! I need an all-day! What do you need in the water, all-day?
The first line cook's all-day is everything they are expecting from each station, right now. It has nothing to do with the rest of the day, only this moment. I have to stop myself from using it because I know only a very few people will have even the slightest idea what the hell I'm talking about.
I bring all this up because I've been given an opportunity to produce a film about the lab and facility I work at. My mind slips easily back to filmmaker Pete, and one of my go-to phrases comes quickly to my lips: on the day. I don't know where I first heard it, some crazy weekend shoot in the West End probably. The phrase relates to planning and rehearsal. In the film world, it basically means when the camera is rolling. (Do cameras roll anymore?) On the day is glib, and fits the moment better.
The folks I work with these days are from all over the world, and speak English as a second or third language so take things very literally. I tried to use on the day once and got a funny look and, "I thought we were doing this today?" followed by a tortured explanation of how a film shoot works to a bunch of engineers. Some days we talk a bit too much.
Thanks for reading,
Pete
No comments:
Post a Comment