Word science: Synesthesia and Logomisia

When we discuss which words and phrases to use for our greetings cards, we tend to roll them around our mouths see how they physically feel to us. 

We both share a love of words. Words can be powerful. Words matter. We try to understand them and use them wisely. 

But, did you know there are some words that can cause physical pleasure, pain or downright disgust for some people?

If you've heard of Synesthesia then this phenomenon will be familiar to you. 

Synesthesia is a fascinating experience where our senses cross over and stimulation of one sense involuntarily triggers something in another sense.  For example, a person might see colours when they listen to music. Some people can feel textures, temperatures, smell specific smells or even sense vibrations in response to some colours, music, sounds and words.

When we brainstorm at Damn Fine Greetings, we love the physical sensations that specific words give to both of us. This is called Logomisia - a linguistic phenomenon related to word perception and emotional response.

We talk about the physical reaction people have to swear words and everyday words that we would consider benign.

Michelle shared a story about working with someone who would physically retch when the words 'milk', 'egg' or 'yolk' were mentioned. She couldn't make a round of tea and coffee because a mention of the white stuff would turn her green. 

And for some people harsh sounding words like 'clot' 'gash' 'slice' or 'liver' can give little sensations of pain.

Here are a list of Damn Fine words that make us (and potentially others) feel a little queasy:

Clam
Mucus
Moist
Phlegm
Secrete
Pustule
Pus
Ooze

We did some reading and found that many of these words are commonly disliked by many people.

Linguists have shared the factors that influence people's aversion to specific words -  connotation, sound, and social transmission.

So, seeing a word written on a page might not trigger any physical sensation, but if someone says 'egg' 'milk' or 'yolk' with a disgusted look on their face and with heavy, liquidy,  throaty glottal stops, then you might start to feel queasy when you hear or read those words again. 

Bonkers, isn't it?

But also we are aware that it can be a deeply unpleasant experience for people with extreme reactions caused by Synesthesia or Logomisia. 

We hope this article has helped you consider words that perhaps cause a physical sensation in you.

Reach out to us and email us if there is a word that causes the good kind of Logomisia in you or someone you know. We are always happy to consider creating unique gifts and designs whether they are sweary, or non-sweary. Contact us at info@damnfinegreetings.com.

More from the Damn Fine Greetings team about words and linguistics

Why do British people swear so much more than Canadians (and many other countries)?

What are the origins of swear words / curse words? And why are some words taboo?