MAGIC WORDS
its spelling, pronunciation, and meaning until it reached its present status in
the dictionary (which is still 'in progress.')"1
Commonplace Words with Magical Connotations
A great many "commonplace" words -- i.e. words that the editor
of a dictionary of magic words respectfully regrets that he will be unable to
include -- come standard with a special spark of their own. Literature, folklore,
and even advertising are replete with examples of commonplace words
that are rich with "magical" connotations. Take for example the word Paris.
For many people who reside outside the City of Lights but within the sphere
of Western culture, Paris instantly conjures images of romance. "The magic
word Paris drew them on," writes Barbara W. Tuchman. Similarly, the old
name for China, Cathay, conjures up an exotic, faraway land of spices and
silks, while the Riviera is "full of aspirations of elegance [and] excitement."
For author M.M. Kaye, "Zanzibar is one of those names that possess a peculiar,
singing magic in every syllable; like Samarkand or Rajasthan, or Kilimanjaro."
4 In The Story of Mankind (1921), Hendrik Willem Van Loon speaks
of people "forever under the spell of this magic word 'Rome.'"
Place names are indeed among the words most often imbued with
primal, powerful connotations. (For no matter how sophisticated the implied
glamour of the word Paris, our attraction to this magic word is the product of
primitive emotions.) But this magic is by no means limited to place names,
and we have only to toss out a few choice words like birthday and romance and
home to demonstrate this. Discussing the songs of Hoagy Carmichael (and
his collaborating lyricists), author William Zinsser identifies what he calls
"magical words" with powerful connotations:
o moonlight
o Wabash
o sycamore
o 'possum
o oleander
o rhubarb
o veranda
o buttermilk
o old mill
o watermelon
Zinsser explains: "They reach us not only through the eye, ear and nose but
through two even more powerful transmitters: memory and yearning for the
simplicities of yesterday." The effect of the magic words on this short list
1
Seven Kinds of Smart (199 )
Guns of August (1962)
Barrie Kerper, Provence (2001)
4 Death in Zanzibar (1959)
Easy to Remember (2000)
