One of the main patterns that I saw was simply that every family or close nit group has these specific terms that they use. Some of them were a bit complex and you would probably only know what the meaning is if you were a part of the circle and some were pretty basic. You could probably understand the meaning from context alone. The other pattern that I noticed was that they all had a unifying factor. Some seemed to have close deep meanings between the parties that created a tight bond and to a lesser extent some simply created a common ground between people. I found this very interesting. This to me conveys the true importance of language in the family context. Having some silly word that only you and your family use seems unimportant and trivial but as I said earlier, it can truly unify. Common language can create strong bonds.

One phrase that has always been used in my family home is the term "shifter." This word is obviously a substitute for the heavily debated term of a television remote control. I have herd people use words ranging from remote, to changer, to clicker, even to zapper. I was always brought up with my parents using the word shifter because of the fact that you shift channels. Another term that my family used growing up was that of "The Dangerous Room." The dangerous room was a room at the back of our house where the ironing board and the sewing machine were kept. The origin of this coined term was to keep my sister and I out of the room when we were children for reasons of keeping the both of us safe from hazardous objects such as hot irons and sewing needles. As I began to grow up I believe that I found another reason for the dangerous room being titled as it was. This is also the room that my parents would keep presents that were supposed to be from the jolly old St. Nick when Christmas rolled around. They figured that as long as they had already instilled a fear of the room in us, why not use it to there advantage and hide secrets in there as well. These are several terms that Hold Specific meaning to me and my family and probably mean very little to others.