Vernacular

This is the Inntel Hotel in Zaandam — pronounced zaːnˈdɑm — a town just north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.  I was looking at pictures of odd architecture, and came upon this picture of "stacked houses."  I'm intrigued by the whole idea, which shows how weird I am.  But I wonder how soon I'd be tired of looking at it.  Then the article said:

"This fun bit of strange architecture may be one of the world’s weirdest hotels, at least in appearance, but it’s well suited to its Amsterdam setting and segues well into its surroundings.  The Inntel Hotel offers a fun modernized twist on traditional Dutch vernacular style."

And that threw me for a loop.  Vernacular style?  For me, the word "vernacular" is about language, not architecture.  So I looked it up.

Word of the Day

ver·nac·u·lar /vərˈnakyələr/ noun =

1. the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.  Example:  "He wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience."  
2. architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.  Example:  "These are buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular."

ver·nac·u·lar /vərˈnakyələr/ adjective  =

1. (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
2. (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.

So today, I'm kind of combining my word fascination with the idea of WindowSwap, looking at the world beyond my own windows.  What a fascinating view I discovered, and I learned of a new way to use a word that I thought I already knew.