brisven

/ˈbrɪs.vɛn/

noun· region: north-noemic, coastal· frequency: occasional· first recorded: 1903

the silence after a question, longer than expected, in which the questioner already knows the answer will not come.

from coastal bris (a held breath) and ven (the small empty room between two larger rooms). recorded first by the schoolteacher e. lyngstad at korphavn, where the wind was loud and conversation depended on patience. the brisven is not a refusal; it is a furnishing.

"i asked her where she had been on saturday. the brisven was so long i thought for a moment my own kettle had asked the question." — diary, h.m., 1948

"the meeting hall has a fine brisven. it accepts even foolish questions without embarrassing them." — from a parish report

field note · l.m., 1981 in korphavn the word is used affectionately; inland it has become accusatory. one valley schoolteacher described an interrogative parent as "brisven-rich, answer-poor." i record this for completeness only.