This blogger has been otherwise engaged

I’ve had a couple of weeks’ break from my blog because of teaching break, during which my routine (including blog time) went out the window! The loss of routine was aided by the fact that I became engaged just before the break! So I became otherwise engaged ;) calling relatives and friends to tell them the news and arranging a celebration at short notice to coincide with a planned visit from the parents of my betrothed from the Netherlands. Oh, and there were the seemingly endless piles of marking to do…

 

 A couple of interesting language tidbits have come to my attention through this new experience of being engaged. One is that the distinction between fiancé and fiancée seems to have dropped out of recognition. The former is the term I should use for my betrothed (as the man) and the latter is the one he should use to refer to me. I had to check this out myself to see which was which. I think most people I know only ever say it, not write it, so it doesn’t make too much difference by the time we’ve done the time-honoured Aussie thing of butchering the French pronunciation!

The other interesting thing is the generational change in the custom for expressing congratulations when someone announces their engagement. These days, most people say ‘congratulations’ to both groom-to-be and bride-to-be. But apparently, in generations past, the ‘proper’ way to acknowledge the engagement was to congratulate the man and give your best wishes to the woman. After all, the man has just scored a top-notch chick and the woman, well, she’s got her work cut out for her (see Proverbs 31:10-31)! Well, actually, we both feel very thankful to have each other and from all accounts we'll both have our work cut out for us, so we'll keep praying and putting in the effort.