Sharp and round

One aspect of naming is one of the simplest, always seen, but, surprisingly, not often recognised.

How often do we look at the shape of words, and at individual letters?

One of my childhood games was to see how many words one could think of that could be formed by using sticks - using only the letters with straight sides, and no curves.

A  E  F  H  I  K  L  M  N  T  V  W  X  Y  Z

Words like EKE, AFT, ELK, WAIT, VAT, WANE, KITE, MAIN, VEX, LINE and FIVE come to mind.

Even when I was younger I could see that the words were spiky, sharp, and for some reason not very pleasing to my eyes.

Compare the above words with perhaps FLOWER, RIVER, DRIVE, CORE, PAPER, PICTURE, COLLAR, TARGET, BOUNCE and CLOUD.

The more rounded shapes seem to make them friendlier, nicer, altogether more pleasant and approachable.

We all see words every day, whether they register in our conscious or not, and all can evoke certain feelings. 

CHOCOLATE - the very word rolls around the mouth, as if there is already some of this delicacy already tickling the taste buds.

STOP - rounded letters, but a short, instantly recognised, one-syllable word that has an immediate effect.

BAR - a short word with a longer, lazy sound, inviting us to come in and relax.