‘In 2015, a group of prominent authors including Robert Macfarlane, Simon Barnes, Margaret Atwood, Richard Mabey, Sir John Lister-Kaye, Helen Macdonald and many others joined together in protest’
They wrote a letter to the Oxford University Press complaining about numerous words associated with nature and the countryside such as acorn, bluebell and conker, being removed from The Oxford Junior Dictionary. The group stated their ‘profound alarm’ that many words had been cut from the dictionary since 2007, requested they be reinstated and based their appeal on two considerations.
Firstly, the link between nature and culture appeared to be in danger of unravelling, to the detriment of society and the natural environment. Secondly, they noted childhood was already undergoing significant change andthe decline of children’s connections to nature was seen as a major issue, citing the decline in natural play to the decline in children’s well-being. Exploring, sploshing and rolling in the outdoors were all diminishing pastimes, together with the memories they make. Anti-social behaviour and fear were the increasing consequences. They worried that many of the newly added words related to the more solitary, interior-based childhoods of the time.
Like the authors, I was utterly dismayed to read of words such as dandelion, otter, kingfisher, bramble, wren and many others connected with nature, farming and food, being discarded from the widely used children’s dictionary. Surely, we must be able to accommodate all words without having to choose which ones make the cut. As others have so eloquently put it, why can’t an A be for acorn and for analogue?
Indeed, a fine book was subsequently published, to pay tribute to certain ‘Lost Words’ and to record a number of examples that were being removed from the notable dictionary.
This issue played on my mind for a considerable time. The sharing of treasured words from our countryside, our natural world and our pastimes is surely pivotal to how the next generation views, values and ultimately safeguards the environment around them. In response, I was driven to collate a Piscatorial Raconteur vocabulary, a compilation of words associated with our passions, our heritage and the pastime that we hold so dear; words to be safeguarded, cherished, protected and not forgotten, words to be passed on to future generations. Words NOT to be discarded.
It is hoped this collection of over four hundred associated words will conjure up fond memories, evoke treasured thoughts and reminiscences, prompt smiles and reminders of favourite times, tales, paths crossed, tables shared, characters, conversations, places, acquaintances, experiences and belongings. Perhaps aparticular word may even prompt the writing of a favourite tale to be shared with others?
This List, of course, is not meant to be an exhaustive one. Only certain birds, animals and rivers have been included and others, I’m sure, will quickly think of words not present, based on their own experiences, interests and skills. It can be freely added to and will perhaps evolve into an ever-growing compendium of words.These are important, valuable words; words that matter.
A is for Angling, Adventure, Anecdotes, Authors, Anticipation, Acquaintances, Antiques, Ancient, Artefacts, Avon, Ale, Acorns, Alder and Autumn
B is for Birdsong, Buzzard, Balsa, Bamboo, Bobber, Belongings, Bubbles, Baskets, Bags, Branches, Blossom, Berries, Bites, Blanks, Books, Boats, Beult, Backwater, Bridges, Breeze, Beauty, Balance, Bread, Barbel, Bream, Brew, Bargain, Bait, Boots, Blisters and Bothy
C is for Cane, Calm, Countryside, Contentment, Contemplation, Companionship, Canine, Company, Creel, Cork, Current, Crease, Craft, Creation, Composure, Copse, Clouds, Crabtree, Crucian, Collections, Coat, Creatures, Characters, Camaraderie, Canal, Cast, Crust, Corn, Crumb, Cottage, Carp, Chapter, Chub, Cheese, Childhood, Chat, Cold, Chill and Centre-Pin
D is for Dawn, Dusk, Dorsal, Discovery, Discerning, Deceptive,Daydreams, Depth, Dam, Dragonfly, Damselfly, Deep, Dark, Ducks, Dace and Dogs
E is for Evenings, Experiences, Environment, Encouragement, Enthusiasm, Entertainment, Exhilaration, Expectation, Everlasting, Enjoyment, Engraving, Euphoria, Enduring and Equilibrium
F is for Friendship, Fun, Footsteps, Ferrules, Fittings, Fettling, Fur, Feather, Flasks, Favourites, Fireplace, Flood, Flake, Frost, Falls, Farms, Fields, Fences, Floats, Fish, Flow, Flora, Fauna, Foraging and Foul-hooked
G is for Glistening, Gentlemen, Grounded, Guidance, Golden, Growing-up, Geese, Goldcrest, Gentles and Gudgeon
H is for Hand-made, Humour, Heritage, Heron, Heroes, Hobbies, Hostelries, Habitat, Humility, Hope, Happiness, Holidays, Habits, Hand-full, Handles, Hedgerows, Hawthorn, Hibernation, Hooks, Hemp and Hats
I is for Inspirational, Informal, Improvisation, Inviting, Individual, Inventive, Icons, Islands, Immersion, Imagination and Images
J is for Journeys, Jokes, Joy, Jetty, Journals, Jackets and Jumpers
K is for Kettle, Kindness, Kingfisher, Kaleidoscope, Knots and Knowledge
L is for Lakes, Line, Lures, Laughter, Luck, Life, Lacquer, Lists, Lessons-learned, Landscape, Licences, Loops, Lilies and Leaves
M is for Memories, Moments, Magic, Mornings, Miracles, Monsters, Mentors, Moonlight, Monsoon, Moorhen, Marsh, Maggots, Maestros, Mud, Mist, Margins and Majesty
N is for Nets, Nature, Night, Nymph, Nuance, Nostalgia and Natural
O is for Observation, Originality, Opportunity, Omens, Oaks, Obsessions, Objectives, Orchards, Outdoors, Oars, Otter, Owl, Overhanging and Other-worldly
P is for Piscator, Passion, Patience, Peace, Poignancy, Pondering, Pockets, People, Places, Pages, Promises, Plans, Poetry, Petals, Paste, Photography, Paraphernalia, Polished, Pectoral, Puddles, Predators, Pubs, Paths, Perch, Pike, Pools and Ponds
Q is for Quill, Quintessential, Quest, Quality, Quiet and Quotes
R is for Raconteurs, Restoration, Rhymes, Ranunculus, Rods, Reels, Relaxation, Roaming, Reflection, Rare, Reunions, Rain, Risk, Roach, Rudd, Rivers, Reeds, Rushes and Ripples
S is for Stories, Streams, Swims, Serenity, Secrets, Sodden, Solitude, Silence, Scent, Sleep, Snags, Seam, Slime, Sediment, Stones, Slugs, Sky, Storm, Scales, Snow, Stove, Smiles, Senses, Sounds, Solace, Soul, Socks, Shadows, Showers, Slippery, Shoal, Stealth, Skylark, Swallow, Sunlight, Sunrise, Sunset, Splash, Swirl, Skilled, Stalking, Shallows, Snacks, Seasons, Spring and Summer
T is for Treasured, Traditional, Tales, Travels, Treacherous, Tea, Tackle, Tube, Triumph, Trepidation, Tranquillity, Temperature, Tingling, Ticket, Trees, Tracks, Tributaries, Tangles, Tench, Trout, Tipples and Tomorrow
U is for Upstream, Under-arm, Unpredictable, Unknown, Urban and Undergrowth
V is for Valuable, Varnish, Vintage, Views, Venables, Virtuoso, Vehicle, Visibility, Venue, Verses and Variety
W is for Weather, Wandering, Walking, Watching, Wicker, Walton, Walker, Woods, Water, Weights, Wind, Weir, Waistcoat, Willow, Wensum, Wharfe, Wye, Wisdom, Whopper, Worms, Wellies, Waders, Writing, Wildlife and Winter
X is for X-Rated (jokes and tales)
Y is for Yarns, Years, Yates, Yearning, Yesterday and Yesteryear
Z is for Zest, Zen-like, Zander and Zoology
Writing & Image – Carl Hier & The Piscatorial Raconteurs
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