Thread: Mother is the most beautiful word in the English language...

According to a survey of over 40,000 overseas voters and learners of English at British Council teaching centres, 'Mother' is the most beautiful word in the English language.

The British Council asked over 7,000 learners in 46 countries what they considered to be the most beautiful words in the English language. In addition an online poll was run via British Council websites in all non-English speaking countries. Over 35,000 people voted.

Top 70

1 Mother
2 Passion
3 Smile
4 Love
5 Eternity
6 Fantastic
7 Destiny
8 Freedom
9 Liberty
10 Tranquility
11 Peace
12 Blossom
13 Sunshine
14 Sweetheart
15 Gorgeous
16 Cherish
17 Enthusiasm
18 Hope
19 Grace
20 Rainbow
21 Blue
22 Sunflower
23 Twinkle
24 Serendipity
25 Bliss
26 Lullaby
27 Sophisticated
28 Renaissance
29 Cute
30 Cosy
31 Butterfly
32 Galaxy
33 Hilarious
34 Moment
35 Extravaganza
36 Aqua
37 Sentiment
38 Cosmopolitan
39 Bubble
40 Pumpkin
41 Banana
42 Lollipop
43 If
44 Bumblebee
45 Giggle
46 Paradox
47 Delicacy
48 Peekaboo
49 Umbrella
50 Kangaroo
51 Flabbergasted
52 Hippopotamus
53 Gothic
54 Coconut
55 Smashing
56 Whoops
57 Tickle
58 Loquacious
59 Flip-flop
60 Smithereens
61 Oi
62 Gazebo
63 Hiccup
64 Hodgepodge
65 Shipshape
66 Explosion
67 Fuselage
68 Zing
69 Gum
70 Hen-night

http://www.britishcouncil.org/mediac...rds_Nov_04.doc

Was this a poll about the nicest-sounding words or the words with the nicest meaning? It seems rather odd that all the top spots are occupied with words that have nice meanings but don't necessarily sound all that nice. English-speakers. Что поделаешь?

Just reading a bit of the blurb, I reckon it's the meaning rather than the sound: although quite a few sound pretty good as well. I started to select ones that I thought sounded beautiful but I got stuck because it depends on what you are thinking about at that moment.

Oh, that's boring. Who wants to hear about the word with the best meaning? Oy, Mike lad, fetch us the list of English words most pleasing to the ear!

Originally Posted by Pravit

Oy, Mike lad, fetch us the list of English words most pleasing to the ear!

Nipple

Some of these sound beautiful, don't you think

Gobbledygook
Bankruptcy
Windbag
Carbuncle
Buttock
Crackpot
Troglo-dyte
Clodhopper
Gob
Skunk
Wretch
Funk
Corpse
Sludge
Syphilis
Diarrhea
Juke-box
Debutante
Piggyback

not especially

but maybe it's just because I already know the meanings of them

Just my opinion but I think that "Mother" is there because of the "th" sound. It is a very interesting and archaic sound. Most of the words on the list have a nice feel to them but as native English speakers we don't think about it much. I don't know how "Bubble" got up there though.

Recently I've been watching a DVD with old sketches from "Monty Python" (British TV comics in 1970-s) and there was a scene when a landlord says something like "I love woody words — GONE, PROSE, GORGEOUS" [etc.]
his wife: Cariboo
landlord: No, no, "cariboo" not woody, it's tinny
wife: I mean a cariboo is nibbling crocket pegs in our park
Landlord takes his rifle, aims and shoots
landlord: Cariboo GO-O-O-O-ONE

I think the words "acquiesce" and "salami" are rather nice sounding. And also the words "wonder" and "wash." The only thing is that I don't like the English "s"(although I picked words that have it). Sitting 100 feet away from a television set, you can quite clearly hear that hissing "S" above everything else. "Aquarium" is a nice-sounding word too.

Originally Posted by DDT

Just my opinion but I think that "Mother" is there because of the "th" sound.

Hmm, what about "smother"? Equally nice-sounding?

What other word could possibly match the beauty of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

What other word could possibly match the beauty of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?

Come on VM the sound of it is something quite atrocious

Originally Posted by майк

Originally Posted by VendingMachine

What other word could possibly match the beauty of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?

Come on VM the sound of it is something quite atrocious

The trick is to say it loud enough - that way you'll always sound precocious.

You two, stop that singing! Stop it I say. Before I have you both smothered......Yes, this word, I like!

some of the nicest words, I think, are words which relate to the human voice - I suppose there's some twisted logic.
mellifluous
stentorian (not a nice thing but it sounds great!)
loquacious

and can you read "succulent" without salivating?

Originally Posted by waxwing

and can you read "succulent" without salivating?

You know, I could. It was possible right before I found translation of the word.

I like some of our words we stole from Persian.I don't quite remember which ones are persian and which ones aren't, but some words I like are; kashmir, lavender, dolphin, glacier.And I do like that word bumblebee, and hippopotumus (not that I know how to spell it), galaxy, and the planets' names.But, honestly it's hard to divide aesthetics from meaning.I don't have the objectivity to do it.That survey should be given to those non-english speakers who just flick through an audio dictionary, without given definitions.'Before' they learn.I would find it heaps of fun to be tested in a comfortable room, having foreign words I'd never heard and just saying "No, cr@@y word", "Hmm, next...", "Ahh, GORGEOUS word".
Some silly/icky words I like are squid, frog (which I enjoy pronouncing sometimes as froj) and octopus.
But, it's not coincidentally that beautiful things have beautiful names, and silly things have silly names.Words are often (not always) going to be a linguistic equivalent of their sensual counterparts.

No one can decide impartially whether the word is beautiful or not, even those who don't speak English. There's no absolute criteria. Everyone has his own language and has his own deep-rooted subconscious sound preferences (except, may be, deaf-and-dumbs).