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This is clearly subjective, but some words really sound like the thing they describe (personal favorites: puffin; bulbous; fidgeting). Do you have an example of such a word (or, alternatively, of a word that sounds like the exact opposite of what it refers to)? What do you think creates this effect?

The first word that popped in my head was nubile; a very sexy word in my estimation. The next word that followed was languish, staccato slipped into next place; these three beautiful words fit very nicely between sound and meaning. Then I thought about fast and slow.

I pondered the words fast and slow, thinking does the word slow sound slow? Does fast sound fast? Do they sound right only because I know what they mean and does it makes sense only because those words are ingrained indelibly with those meanings?

In French the word for fast is vite and the word for slow is lent; same issue in French as in English; do the words mirror in sound their meaning or is it knowing their meaning that makes the sound make sense?

Words, sound and meaning, I would say that they are all inter-related, I can’t think of an anachronistic relation between sound and meaning in relation to the word. Good topic to think about; it made me appreciate the richness of our vocabulary either in English or French and how lucky I am that I can flip from one to the other. Words are good, where would we be without them?