" I suddenly discovered the joy of mere words, i.e. the sounds and associations of words...I wanted to write enormous naturalistic novels with unhappy endings, full of detailed descriptions and arresting similes, and also full of purple passages in which words were used partly for the sake of their own sound. "
- George Orwell
An area of interest is 'bailiwick' as 'godspeed' is to success or fortune.
'Jocularity' would be funny speech/behaviour as 'mellifluous' is to a pleasant sound..and the list goes on..
Perhaps what appeals more to me is the beauty that these words can create when used in a phrase, that possibly surpasses what those words have together.
I remember that one of my favourite books when I was a kid used to be "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll, an extension of Alice In Wonderland, simply because of its exaggerated and extensive yet exquisite vocabulary which in turn created descriptive phrases. These would then perform the magic by instantly drawing up realistic visual images, (complete with sound, taste and smell and all that appeals to the five senses) in my mind, of Alice with the fat twins- tweedledum and tweedledee, the Jabberwocky, the Mad Hatter's tea party, of the rabbit, the White Queen's pawns, the checkerboard.. having transported myself to another world, feeling a myriad of emotions - joy, anxiety, fear, exhilaration, sadness and so much more, all the while craving for more as i turned the pages, one leaf at a time.
Then I moved onto mystery novels, Lord of the Rings, The Wuthering Heights, Jane Austin's classics, George Orwell Essays, always experiencing a thrill the moment I begin reading, meanwhile trying to satisfy the insatiable thirst of my curiosity as to the fate of the characters involved in the story, till the moment I finish the book.
The Shawshank Redemption - one of the greatest movie ever made became one of my faves after having just seen it once during the holidays, because of Morgan Freeman's simple yet eloquent, short yet descriptive and mellifluous soliloquy, let alone the storyline( which was also awesome). Use of friendly, made-up and uncommon phrases like 'easy peasy japanesey' among others, throughout the whole movie, was certainly an added pleasure.
Words like melody, caress, gossamer, velvet, tranquil, twilight and murmur or even willow, hush, golden and whisper come in my list of 'beautiful-sounding' words. One writer says home is the most beautful word. I think I agree with him.
'CellarDoor' was recently voted as the most beautiful-sounding word.
As for me, I would say the most beautiful individual word would be - Lisabeth, my only sister.
~ "I don't speak the language of the piano, but I can still sing in it"~
ROSE J.
