French voted 'most beautiful language' by American poets
Frequently cited words include amour, fleur, mélange and papillon
A new poll reveals which languages poets find most pleasing to the ear, with French standing out
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French has once again been associated with phonetic beauty in a new survey of American poets who were asked to name the most beautiful-sounding words in languages other than English.
Responses were gathered from 1,500 poets, writers, and readers. The poll, conducted by language-learning platform Babbel in collaboration with the Poetry Society of America, did not focus on meaning but on the aesthetic qualities of speech sounds.
“One of the paradoxes of language is that it is easier to hear the distinctive music of a language you don’t know than one you do. Unless you are a poet,” Matt Brogan, Executive Director at the Poetry Society of America said.
“In literature the beauty of language often extends beyond meaning alone. From an early age, we are immersed in language through stories read aloud by family members; while we may remember the tales themselves, it is often the gentle rhythm and soft undulation of carefully chosen words that soothe us to sleep,” Esteban Touma, Linguistic and Cultural Expert at Babbel added.
“Those instincts remain, regardless of language. Phonaesthetics shapes our responses to sounds in ways that often transcend meaning, nationality and native tongue,” he said.
While the survey produced a ranked list for English words (with “diaphanous” voted the most beautiful-sounding English word, followed by “ethereal” and “mellifluous”) the section on other languages was based on open nominations.
Within those responses, French stood out clearly as the most frequently cited language. Words such as amour (love), fleur (flower), mélange (mixture), épaulette (shoulder ornament), désolée (sorry), and papillon (butterfly) appeared repeatedly, noted for their flowing vowels, soft consonants, and melodic rhythm.
Other languages were also strongly represented, especially Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, with words like amore (love), saudade (nostalgic longing), and duende (a heightened state of artistic emotion) frequently mentioned.
“Certain combinations of sounds seem to resonate with us on an instinctive level,” Mr Touma explained. “This cross-linguistic appeal demonstrates that our appreciation of language is not solely tied to comprehension.”
