Date:  Sun, 18 Feb 1996 13:49:08 +0200

From:  Pete Buchy <pbuchy[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RA.ABO.FI>

Subject: Re: New word? mouthfeel



>   I don't know if this qualifies for a new word, not having the newer

> dictionaries against which to judge it, but you've got to admit this is a

> word with great potential. Here I'd been making do with "texture" for so

> long, a word clearly inadequate to the task assigned it. But Mouthfeel--

> this word will go far! Now I can finally explain to people why it is I don't

> like tofu.

>  Further this word should be adopted in linguistic circles and among poets

> and orators to explain why certain words work better in certain contexts.

> Monongahela has better mouthfeel than Allegheny, Kirk Douglas has better

> mouthfeel than his real name Izzy Demsky, French has better mouthfeel than

> German or Russian... Everything falls into place.



    Mouthfeel may have something to do with it, but we have to take

into note cultural background and language exposure to deal with

mouthfeel in a linguistic context. From an English and Spanish speaking

background, Swedish wasn't too bad for me to learn. And after Swedish

German wasn't so bad. But the strong use of consonants in Finnish made

it feel bad for me. The other way around also applys, though. I know a

number of Finns who don't like French so much because of the extra

emphasis on vowels and smaller emphasis on consonants. To them it feels

wrong.



Pete Buchy           E-mail: pbuchy[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ra.abo.fi