I have to wonder if the supposed beauty of "cellar door" is because it reminds someone of "celadon" (a type of gray-green glazed pottery) or some other word with real-world associations to something beautiful. Like "celesta" or something.

Glenn, I'll see your colostomy and add diarrhea.

If it's just the "sound," then why "cellar door" and not "seller door" or "salad or" or (fill in your own homophones)?

Now there's another example of an "ugly" word … "homophones" … I don't like the (nudge nudge) connotations there.

You know, now that you mention it, I guess it does sorta' have an assonance to it. Get "homophone" … the first cell phone really designed for our species.

I know Martha expressly excluded "butterfly" (along with "love" and "mother") when asking what words we listeners find beautiful in sound, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to share this story:

A group of students at an international university were sitting around one day when the conversation got round to whether the nature of a thing determines the nature of the word used to refer to it. The American suggested "butterfly" and said that the name resembles the creature: colorful, ephemeral, carefree.

The French student agreed, adding that "papillon" is also a beautiful word, no doubt because it names a beautiful thing, and the Spaniard added that the same was true of "mariposa". The Italian threw in his own opinion that "farfalla" was transcendently appealing.

With that, the German student huffed once, folded his arms, and growled "und vat is wrong mit 'Schmetterling'?"

Here's another allusion to the beauty of "cellar door", courtesy of the Tufts University Center for Cognitive Studies (and Bill Griffith):

http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/i…..nguage.pdf

Mr. and Mrs. Concrete hired a ratcatcher who was particularly fond of their "wainscotting."

A Way with words Cellar door

I understand Grant has done some research on this topic. I haven’t listened to what he has to say but I’ve done some research on my own and discovered the origin of the belief that the words “cellar door” are the most beautiful word in the English language.

The son of an influential author was reading his deceased father’s diary. After a 15 page description of his father’s first date with his new girl friend, who would become his wife of fifty-three years, he found a verbatim description of his father’s last visit to his psychiatrist who was treating him for writer’s block stemming from an overwhelming sense of inferiority. Here is a copy of the transcript from the father’s diary:

Me: I have something to tell you doctor.
Dr. Burkle: Before we get distracted, I would like to continue our conversation about your recurring dream.
Me: OK. It’s relevant to what I have to say. I had the dream again last night but it was different this time. As before, I descended the stairs with a small key in my hand. When I reached the bottom, I inserted the key into the lock but it turned without engaging the lock. I went down another set of stairs with the same result, another and another until I was ready to give up. And then doctor, the most marvelous thing happened, I descended the last set of stairs and as I approached the cellar door I could see that it appeared different than all the others. It glistened like grass after a summer rain. It was so beautiful. The key I was holding grew and grew as I descended the stairs . By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, it had grown to fit the lock perfectly. I held my breath inserted the key into the lock and gently turned it. The cellar door opened as if by magic.

It still sends shivers up my spine when I think about it. (end of diary entry)

The father thanked the psychiatrist went home and finished the novel he was working on and became one of America’s most influential authors and teachers. He started each semester by telling his students, “the most beautiful words in the English language are: Cellar Door.” They spread the word until everyone in the world knew that the words “Cellar Door” were the most beautiful words in the English language.

His son reported that the only request his father made upon his death was that he be buried with the gift his wife gave him on their wedding night: a gold chain with a key attached.

Post edited 3:23PM – Oct-07-10 by Garry Shirts

Emmett:
I wrote that story. I got to thinking how Freud would have a field day with the claim that the words "Cellar Door" are the most beautiful words in the world. So instead of making the point in an explicit fashion, I wrote the story. Sorry, I probably should have given more clues that I intended it to be an allegory.
Garry

Thanks Agnes. I didn't know that rhotic meant so I looked it up:

"English pronunciation can be divided into two main accent groups: A rhotic (pronounced /ˈroʊtɨk/, sometimes /ˈrɒtɨk/) speaker pronounces the letter R in hard; a non-rhotic speaker does not pronounce it in hard. That is, rhotic speakers pronounce /r/ in all positions, while non-rhotic speakers pronounce /r/ only if it is followed by a vowel sound in the same phrase or prosodic unit (see "linking and intrusive R")."

Since both "r"s are followed by a vowel, wouldn't the pronunciation be the same?

Also, I just read Grant's article in the NYT Magazine. When he discussed it on the radio, I got the impression that he thought it was because of the meaning of the words rather than how they sound that qualified the words as the most beautiful in the world. But in the article it is clear that he he has analyzed the assumption from many different points of view including the euphonious . It seems to me that the words are symbols with heavy sexual overtones which he did not consider. Of course, I am a psychologist so a can of beans has heavy sexual overtones.

Garry

I would be interested in that research as well. Perhaps it would answer if, in fact, there is a universal appeal at all or does it totally depend on the individual's experience with one's language and culture. Also, does it vary across cultures and languages. I read many years ago that "M" was the most pleasing sound. I hope it's true since my kids are named Mary, Martha, Mitch, Matthew and Michael.

(just kidding about the names)