From Tim Benzie
David Robson’s fascinating exploration of sound symbolism in language (16 July, p 30) reminded me of a performance in Australia in the early 1990s.
Christine Johnston, dressed as a demented opera singer, walked through the audience approaching various individuals, and proceeded to “sing” their hair.There were screeching, short, percussive sounds for a crew cut, flowing notes for wavy locks, and coloratura for perms. The audience seemed to understand almost immediately, and there were whoops of laughter when she captured the sound of a hairdo perfectly.
Without knowing it we were a test case for researcher Sotaro Kita’s theories, in a Brisbane nightclub.
London, UK
