Miss Williams[8] found that out of 253 young ladies only 133 did not have
favorite sounds, [long "a"] and a leading among the vowels, and l, r and m
among the constants. Eighty-five had favorite words often lugged in, 329 being
good. Two hundred and twenty-one, as children, had favorite proper names in
geography, and also for boys, but especially for girls. The order of a few of the
latter is as follows: Helen, 36; Bessie, 25; Violet and Lilly, 20; Elsie and
Beatrice, 18; Dorothy and Alice, 17; Ethel, 15; Myrtle, 14; Mabel, Marguerite,
Pearl, and Rose, 13; May, 12; Margaret, Daisy, and Grace, 11; Ruth and
Florence, 9; Gladys, 8; Maud, Nellie, and Gertrude, 7; Blanche and Mary, 6;
Eveline and Pansy, 5; Belle, Beulah, Constance, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Eve, Laura,
Lulu, Pauline, Virginia, and Vivian, 4 each, etc.
Of ten words found interesting to adolescents, murmur was the favorite, most
enjoying its sound. Lullaby, supreme, annannamannannaharoumlemay,
immemorial, lillibulero, burbled, and incarnadine were liked by most, while
zigzag and shigsback were not liked. This writer says that adolescence is marked
by some increased love of words for motor activity and in interest in words as
things in themselves, but shows a still greater rise of interest in new words and
pronunciations; "above all, there is a tremendous rise in interest in words as
instruments of thought." The flood of new experiences, feelings, and views finds
the old vocabulary inadequate, hence "the dumb, bound feeling of which most
adolescents at one time or another complain and also I suspect from this study in
the case of girls, we have an explanation of the rise of interest in slang." "The
second idea suggested by our study is the tremendous importance of hearing in
the affective side of language."
Conradi[9] found that of 273 returns concerning children's pleasure in knowing
or using new words, ninety-two per cent were affirmative, eight per cent
negative, and fifty per cent gave words especially "liked." Some were partial to
big words, some for those with z in them. Some found most pleasure in saying
them to themselves and some in using them with others. In all there were nearly
three hundred such words, very few of which were artificial. As to words pretty
or queer in form or sound, his list was nearly as large, but the greater part of the
words were different. Sixty per cent of all had had periods of spontaneously
trying to select their vocabulary by making lists, studying the dictionary, etc.
The age of those who did so would seem to average not far from early puberty,
but the data are too meager for conclusion. A few started to go through the
dictionary, some wished to astonish their companions or used large new words
to themselves or their dolls. Seventy percent had had a passion for affecting