37: Smell words, both real and invented (Patreon)

Published:

2019-10-17 22:21:36

Imported:

2023-02

Content

What’s your favourite smell? You might say something like the smell of fresh ripe strawberries, or the smell of freshly-cut grass. But if we asked what your favourite colour is, you might say red or green, but you wouldn’t say the colour of strawberries or grass. Why is it that we have so much more vocabulary for colours than for scents?

In this episode of Lingthusiasm, your hosts Lauren Gawne and Gretchen McCulloch get enthusiastic about language and smell! We discuss research into how other languages describe scents, colour-odour synesthesia, and how researchers go about doing experiments with smells (featuring the gloriously-named Sniffin’ Sticks).

Plus, we talk about how Lauren invented a scent-focused language for a YA fantasy novel! The book is called Shadowscent in the US or The Darkest Bloom in the UK, and it’s by PM Freestone. Lauren created the Aramteskan language that appears in the book. We discuss what it is like to work on a constructed language for a novel, and how Lauren brought her knowledge of linguistics into the creation of this language. For more details on Shadowscent, including how to order, visit PM Freestone’s website.

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November is our official anniversary month! To celebrate three years of Lingthusiasm, we’re asking you, our listeners, to share your favourite fact from the show! This helps people who need more linguistics in their lives realize that this is a place where they can get it, and helps show us what people find interesting. If you share on social media, tag us (@lingthusiasm) so we can thank you and reshare it.

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We also have new merch! All of the Lingthusiasm merch makes a great gift for the linguist or language fan in your life, and we love seeing your photos of it!

Socks with the International Phonetic Alphabet, tree diagrams, or esoteric symbols prints on them. (You can also still get our three prints various colours on scarves, notebooks, mugs and ties.)
New word art design: LINGUISTIC “CORRECTNESS” IS JUST A LIE FROM BIG GRAMMAR TO SELL MORE GRAMMARS, available on shirts, totes, mugs, and zippered pouches.
New items with IPA-themed puns, so you can have glottals on your bottles or liquids around your liquids!
Greeting cards with “thanks” or “congrats” on them in the International Phonetic Alphabet, in a cheerful confetti-like design, to help you thank or congratulate a linguist in your life.

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For more details and links go to https://lingthusiasm.com/post/188414891881/lingthusiasm-episode-37-smell-words-both-real

Files

37: Smell words, both real and invented by Lingthusiasm

What's your favourite smell? You might say something like the smell of fresh ripe strawberries, or the smell of freshly-cut grass. But if we asked what your favourite colour is, you might say red or green, but you wouldn't say the colour of strawberries or grass.