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    soundful

    7­ Replies
    Topic

    soundful

    Comment
    I am editing an English text that contains the word soundful (an adjective used to describe the former name of South East Asia, Indochina, which bears the promise of exciting mysteries). I want to replace this word, but am not exactly sure what it is supposed to mean. Could anyone suggest a fitting synonym?

    Soundful gets 13,000 hits in the Google test (many repeated), but I'm not convinced by its validity, it sounds horrible, and it is not appropriate for the style of this text (which needs to be understood by a wide range of English speakers). Here are other random examples of how it is used:

    Brickles3001 is a colorful, soundful, customizable, exciting ball and paddle game

    South Africa in Dub - rare and soundful pearls from South Africa in Dub

    Mestre, the most soundful place ive been (sic)

    Thanks for any suggestions.
    Authoryackydar unplugged26 Jun 08, 12:20
    Comment
    resonant, perhaps, might have the right connotations. Possibly with an extra adverb ("Richly resonant") depending on taste.

    I also thought of sonorous, but that has more to do with the actual sound and less with its connotations.

    It might be nice if you could give us the whole sentence to play with.
    #1AuthorSteve (BE)26 Jun 08, 12:32
    Comment
    "resonant" was my first idea as well!
    #2Authorchristina26 Jun 08, 12:44
    Comment
    Ah, Steve, I think you've cracked it:

    South East Asia, whose former, resonant name, Indochina, bore the promise of exciting mysteries...

    or even better
    SEA, whose former Name Indochina resonantly bore the promise of exciting mysteries.

    I think here it does mean that just the sound of the word conjured up this impression, and resonant fills the gap. Thanks!
    #3Authoryackydar unplugged26 Jun 08, 12:46
    Comment
    or maybe even "redolent" - something like "SEA, whose former name Indochina was redolent with the promise of exciting mysteries."
    #4Authorchristina26 Jun 08, 12:48
    Comment
    Thanks Christina - changing the structure like that to make it a verb clause is a wonderful suggestion. Have done this.
    #5Authoryackydar unplugged26 Jun 08, 13:00
    Comment
    'Redolent' actually means smelling of something: it is not about sound at all. If you want to go this far in changing the meaning, fine.

    I would say:

    '... whose resonant former name Indochina bore the promise of ...'

    or more freely

    '... whose former name Indochina resounded with the promise of ...'

    Problems with proposed translations:
    'former, resonant name' is simply the wrong way round
    'former name Indochina resonantly bore the promise of...' is longwinded and awkward to read
    'was redolent' seems like the wrong tense. The name *is still* redolent, or resonant or whatever.
    #6Authorstringph26 Jun 08, 13:15
    Comment
    #7Authorchristina26 Jun 08, 13:32
     
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