Words you love because of their sounds

Discussion of natural languages, or language in general.
Thry
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Thry »

sarcasmo wrote:cellar door (with the British [sɛlə: dɔ:])
You'll certainly love Spanish celador, then, specially in dialects that drop final r's and realize the c as /s/.

Classical languages, probably like half of their lexicon O_o:

Greek: deimos, phobos, nyx, styx, thanatos, hypnos, pyr...
Latin: nox, dies, aeternus, arcanus, vir, tenebrae, aqua, ignis, aeris, falx...

I'm positive there are loads more, but these come to my mind now, probably linked by their meanings.

English: low, howl, blaze, harbringer, heaven, malice, menace

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Bristel »

Eandil wrote:
sarcasmo wrote:cellar door (with the British [sɛlə: dɔ:])
You'll certainly love Spanish celador, then, specially in dialects that drop final r's and realize the c as /s/.

Classical languages, probably like half of their lexicon O_o:

Greek: deimos, phobos, nyx, styx, thanatos, hypnos, pyr...
Latin: nox, dies, aeternus, arcanus, vir, tenebrae, aqua, ignis, aeris, falx...

I'm positive there are loads more, but these come to my mind now, probably linked by their meanings.

English: low, howl, blaze, harbringer, heaven, malice, menace
Greek and Latin are two favorites of mine. When I started doing a PIE based conlang, I made sure to make it look like a language that fell between the two. Although the "s-mobile" made words like G. "nyx", G. "nipha" and L. "nix" become "sneks" and "snoks", as far as I remember.

Low, howl, blaze, *harbinger, malice and menace are all really cool words. That list sounds like a lexicon from the English translation of Dante's Inferno. :D
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Skomakar'n »

Astraios wrote:
Skomakar'n wrote:What? There's definitely a very clear [l] in the word, and even a slight vowel at the end.
Only if you're speaking /kQrEktli:/ as opposed to /k@rE?li/.
Sure, but this particular word sounds a lot more sexy (and a lot more French!) when spoken correctly. :(
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Astraios »

Skomakar'n wrote:Sure, but this particular word sounds a lot more sexy (and a lot more French!) when spoken correctly. :(
I agree. :P

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Ouagadougou »

More words I like:
German:
Flug
aufgelassen

Latin:
quamquam
quassâre
Basically every q word

Spanish:
cicatriz (especially with a θ)
murciélago
chocar
ganga
avestruz

English:
remora
kiwi
weir
shuffle and its rhymes
hurdy-gurdy

This time, I know I'm in the right thread. :)

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Thry »

Bristel wrote:Greek and Latin are two favorites of mine. When I started doing a PIE based conlang, I made sure to make it look like a language that fell between the two. Although the "s-mobile" made words like G. "nyx", G. "nipha" and L. "nix" become "sneks" and "snoks", as far as I remember.
Many Latin words in -x are just great. I wish indo-european were as well attested as Latin is. I wonder if we'd like its real feel? It's a mystery.
Bristel wrote:Low, howl, blaze, *harbinger, malice and menace are all really cool words. That list sounds like a lexicon from the English translation of Dante's Inferno. :D
Omg, I was so convinced harbingers brought things. But yea, you are right, even if I like the sound of those words (for example low, bow, flow all sound nice to me), the thematic is amusing to me as well.

I like Japanese neko (cat), which curiously also means "I kill" in latin. (neco there)

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Mr. Z »

Eandil wrote:
Bristel wrote:Greek and Latin are two favorites of mine. When I started doing a PIE based conlang, I made sure to make it look like a language that fell between the two. Although the "s-mobile" made words like G. "nyx", G. "nipha" and L. "nix" become "sneks" and "snoks", as far as I remember.
Many Latin words in -x are just great. I wish indo-european were as well attested as Latin is. I wonder if we'd like its real feel? It's a mystery.
Bristel wrote:Low, howl, blaze, *harbinger, malice and menace are all really cool words. That list sounds like a lexicon from the English translation of Dante's Inferno. :D
Omg, I was so convinced harbingers brought things. But yea, you are right, even if I like the sound of those words (for example low, bow, flow all sound nice to me), the thematic is amusing to me as well.

I like Japanese neko (cat), which curiously also means "I kill" in latin. (neco there)
Stop abusing cats like that! It's illegal!
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Qwynegold »

Ouagadougou wrote:More words I like:
German:
Flug
Seriously?? :o
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Ouagadougou »

I don't think it has an elegant sound, certainly, but it's definitely amusing to say. :P

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Qwynegold »

Ouagadougou wrote:I don't think it has an elegant sound, certainly, but it's definitely amusing to say. :P
You should have left it in the other thread.
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Izambri »

Eandil wrote:
Bristel wrote:Greek and Latin are two favorites of mine. When I started doing a PIE based conlang, I made sure to make it look like a language that fell between the two. Although the "s-mobile" made words like G. "nyx", G. "nipha" and L. "nix" become "sneks" and "snoks", as far as I remember.
Many Latin words in -x are just great. I wish indo-european were as well attested as Latin is. I wonder if we'd like its real feel? It's a mystery.
Oh, I love nox noctis.

Also nimbus and nimbōsus. I find them quite onomatopoeic.

And words ending in -or, -ula (-cula, -gula specially) and -ion, among others.
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Bristel »

Eandil wrote:
Bristel wrote:Greek and Latin are two favorites of mine. When I started doing a PIE based conlang, I made sure to make it look like a language that fell between the two. Although the "s-mobile" made words like G. "nyx", G. "nipha" and L. "nix" become "sneks" and "snoks", as far as I remember.
Many Latin words in -x are just great. I wish indo-european were as well attested as Latin is. I wonder if we'd like its real feel? It's a mystery.
Well, we can choose a reconstruction and speak that out loud, but it's far from accurate. (With all of the h¹ h² and h³ that we are not completely sure about)
Eandil wrote:
Bristel wrote:Low, howl, blaze, *harbinger, malice and menace are all really cool words. That list sounds like a lexicon from the English translation of Dante's Inferno. :D
Omg, I was so convinced harbingers brought things. But yea, you are right, even if I like the sound of those words (for example low, bow, flow all sound nice to me), the thematic is amusing to me as well.

I like Japanese neko (cat), which curiously also means "I kill" in latin. (neco there)
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French herbergere, from herbergier ‘provide lodging for,’ from herberge ‘lodging,’ from Old Saxon heriberga ‘shelter for an army, lodging’ (from heri ‘army’ + a Germanic base meaning ‘fortified place’ ), related to harbor . The term originally denoted a person who provided lodging, later one who went ahead to find lodgings for an army or for a nobleman and his retinue, hence, a herald (mid 16th cent.).

Neko necendam est.
[bɹ̠ˤʷɪs.təɫ]
Nōn quālibet inīquā cupiditāte illectus hoc agō
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----
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by ---- »

Bristel wrote:
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French herbergere
That word right there is one of these awesome sounding words for me. I love words that have a bunch of similar syllables next to each other.

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Ouagadougou »

Qwynegold wrote:You should have left it in the other thread.
The thread is called "Words you love because of their sounds", not "Words whose sounds are mellifluous and pleasing to hear". The two are not necessarily equivalent.

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by finlay »

Exactly, which is why my only contribution is Scheveningen verschuimt or whatever the Dutch shibboleths were.

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

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Bristel wrote:from Old Saxon heriberga ‘shelter for an army, lodging’ (from heri ‘army’ + a Germanic base meaning ‘fortified place’ ), related to harbor . The term originally denoted a person who provided lodging, later one who went ahead to find lodgings for an army or for a nobleman and his retinue, hence, a herald (mid 16th cent.).
And guess what the modern German word is:
Spoiler Warning wrote:Herberge /ˈhɛɐ̯bɛɐ̯ɡə/

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Acid Badger »

Guitarplayer wrote:
Bristel wrote:from Old Saxon heriberga ‘shelter for an army, lodging’ (from heri ‘army’ + a Germanic base meaning ‘fortified place’ ), related to harbor . The term originally denoted a person who provided lodging, later one who went ahead to find lodgings for an army or for a nobleman and his retinue, hence, a herald (mid 16th cent.).
And guess what the modern German word is:
Spoiler Warning wrote:Herberge /ˈhɛɐ̯bɛɐ̯ɡə/
So Heer is related to Herberge? That makes sense. :o

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Thry »

Mr. Z wrote:Stop abusing cats like that! It's illegal!
I'll face my punishment on Caturday when lolcats reign.
Bristel wrote:Neko necendam est.
Omg. Poor cat. Thanks for the etymology.
Izambri wrote:Oh, I love nox noctis.
It's nice. I kept it as noct in my conlang.
Izambri wrote:Also nimbus and nimbōsus. I find them quite onomatopoeic.

And words ending in -or, -ula (-cula, -gula specially) and -ion, among others.
Those are nice. By the way, isn't "ion" -io in the nominative actually (e.g. destructio), or are you thinking about something else?

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Thry »

Dutch u and its possessive uw. Or do I love that because of its simplicity?

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Izambri »

Eandil wrote:
Izambri wrote:Also nimbus and nimbōsus. I find them quite onomatopoeic.

And words ending in -or, -ula (-cula, -gula specially) and -ion, among others.
Those are nice. By the way, isn't "ion" -io in the nominative actually (e.g. destructio), or are you thinking about something else?
I was thinking about Greek, actually. XD
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Qwynegold »

Ouagadougou wrote:
Qwynegold wrote:You should have left it in the other thread.
The thread is called "Words you love because of their sounds", not "Words whose sounds are mellifluous and pleasing to hear". The two are not necessarily equivalent.
Now you've lost me. :? But whatever...
Guitarplayer wrote:And guess what the modern German word is:
Spoiler Warning wrote:Herberge /ˈhɛɐ̯bɛɐ̯ɡə/
In Swedish härbärge means homeless shelter.
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Izambri »

Herberge, of course!!!

I know it reminded me of a close word, but I wasn't suspecting it was so close: Catalan alberg, which according to Alcover-Moll comes from Old High-German heriberga or Gothic *haribergo (REW 4045). In Commonitorium Palladii (10th century Italian document) appears the latinized form alipergum "camp" (Rom. Forsch., vi, 209).
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by bulbaquil »

Curiously, many of my favorite-sounding words tend to start with B.

- barley
- bracken
- barracks
- belligerent
- brisket
- blogosphere

I similarly like the sound of the French Revolutionary Calendar month Brumaire. Sadly, my birthday falls in Frimaire, which doesn't sound anywhere near as pleasant.

Non-B words that I like the sound of: deleterious, quality, mellifluous, divergence, stump, risky, whiskey, washboard, oligarch, plethora. The Italian word ghiaccio and the German state of Niedersachsen also sound good to me.
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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Jipí »

bulbaquil wrote:Niedersachsen also sound[s] good to me.
In all its (relative) consonant-clustery glory? [ˈniːdɐˌzaksn̩]

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Re: Words you love because of their sounds

Post by Thry »

Izambri wrote:Herberge, of course!!!

I know it reminded me of a close word, but I wasn't suspecting it was so close: Catalan alberg, which according to Alcover-Moll comes from Old High-German heriberga or Gothic *haribergo (REW 4045). In Commonitorium Palladii (10th century Italian document) appears the latinized form alipergum "camp" (Rom. Forsch., vi, 209).
That means also Spanish albergue is related :o

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