Earworms

What? You want to read another language-related post? Well okay, but I can't promise any banking.

The NYTimes Science section has a fluffy article about the strange line between language and music, focusing primarily on the word amygdala and the part of the brain to which it refers. The author uses the term earworm to describe melodies that lodge themselves in the brain and won't be moved, and he wonders why certain words can act the same way. I had trouble finishing the article because I couldn't shake the image of worms burrowing through my brainfat.

My theory? I'm pretty convinced that our brains (or at least my brain) has an inclination to favor four syllable words with the second syllable accented. For some reason, they're just juicier than other words. Amygdala is a great example. So's lugubrious. And ethereal. And wachovia.

Oh SNAP!