Raconteur

Words are incredibly fascinating to me. As a monolingual individual who only reads, writes, and speaks English, I have always admired those who possess the ability to communicate in multiple languages. The mere thought of thinking in a language other than my native tongue gives me a headache.

When I immigrated to America before the age of 30, I found myself having to re-learn English. It was like going through the process all over again - learning how to spell, expanding my vocabulary, and understanding the nuances of pronunciation. There were times when I struggled to communicate, and I often found myself on the receiving end of incomprehensible words from Americans.

Certain accents and dialects have always posed a challenge for me, such as Scottish English or my grandfather's native Irish English. With these, I typically find myself a couple of sentences behind the speaker, but I manage to grasp the overall message.

It was when I discovered my passion for storytelling that Australian English presented me with a beautiful word - raconteur. Naturally, I had to delve deeper into its meaning.?

What truly intrigued me was that raconteur is not a commonly used term in American English. In fact, I can't recall ever hearing it or stumbling upon it in any U.S. publications. It's challenging to incorporate a word that doesn't exist in the vernacular of a country. Unfortunately, event planners searching for speakers won't come across the term "raconteur" in any profiles. This is quite disheartening because the word perfectly encapsulates who I am and who I aspire to be.

Among the definitions I found, my favorite is "a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way." This definition truly resonates with me, as it encompasses the essence of my craft and my desire to continually refine it.

So… I have discovered my passion - I am a raconteur! If you're interested in learning more about my journey and how I embrace the art of storytelling, I invite you to visit https://trevorperry.com/raconteur/. Let's connect and continue this fascinating linguistic journey together.

#trevorperry #urxo #seeingstars #keynotespeaker