As I was mooching about in the world of Stumbleupon the other day, I paused when I found this article.
117 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language. Do you know, I sat there and read though each one, and I cannot disagree with the writer, they are beautiful words.
I’ve always been a avid reader, and I think with that, came an appreciation of the English language. At school, lots of my friends opted for English Literature at ‘A’ Levels, but I actually shied away from it. There’s something a little heart-breaking about dissecting a book, piece by piece, instead of just enjoying it for the magical web that it weaves around you. I opted for English Language. The rich history of our language was laid-out before me, and I knew this was more my thing. I got to understand where and how words had entered our language, and I still enjoy thinking about that now.
So, though I’d recommend you do take the time to peruse the list for yourself, here are a few that stand out as beautiful to me:
Effervescent
Evocative
Gambol
Redolent
Serendipity
I’m just drawn to them. The sounds of them makes me smile. Something as simple as a word, made up of a sequence of letters, can make me smile. Yes, there’s the meaning behind them, too, as I do love ‘serendipity’ for both it’s meaning and sound, in particular (and I do like the film, just so you know!), but I find that just saying them aloud is pleasant.
My sister-in-law has a favourite word. Discombobulate. She enjoys saying it. I can understand it’s appeal, though I’m not certain that I have just one favourite. The five above are attractive, then I’d have to plump for ‘snuggles’, ‘meander’, ‘bubble’, and from one of my beloved childhood books, comes my all-time favourite Dahl word, ‘snozzcumber’ 🙂 In fact, I could easily lose myself just looking at Roald Dahl’s Gobblefunk!
So what about you? Which words are you drawn to? Do you have favourite words?
I do have a soft spot for discombobulated-just rolls around the tongue! You’re right, the English Language has some wonderful words, although I was one of those really into dissecting books I’m afraid-loved it!
No, do not dissect it!! 😉