English, I have learned, isn’t just one language. Depending on where you live in the English-speaking world, words can develop new meanings or spiral into new directions.
When I prepared for my move to Britain, I didn’t think my English would be much different from that of my British peers. I was wrong. My job as a writer and editor has forced me to examine these differences closely, and it has made me realize just how much language can create – and change – your identity.
Pic by Graham Roumieu.