The Oddnesses Of Languish

THE ODDNESSES OF LANGUISH
by Matthew Sanborn Smith

They say the Inuit have three hundred words for snow. In the wilds of New England they have but one. They call it “Snow.” It’s worked out pretty well so far. No hunts have gone sour, no lives have been lost for want of another word. How do they describe wet snow, or powdery snow or tightly packed snow, you ask? Well, they use adjectives. Adjectives like “wet,” and “powdery” and “tightly packed.” This system works as well for snow as it does for croutons or sweater vests.

In Norwegia there are three hundred words for sweater vests.