Word/Taste

“Words…were beautiful because they could reveal the truth and hide it at the same time.”

In Bitter in the Mouth, Linda Hammerick has a neurological condition known as auditory-gustatory synesthesia, which causes her to experience a taste whenever she hears or speaks certain words. These word-taste combinations are not associative in nature. The word “aunt” triggers the taste of cornbread, for example, not because Linda was eating cornbread the first time she heard the word or that someone’s aunt made the best cornbread she has ever had. The word-taste combinations are seemingly random neurological assignments. The combinations once coupled, however, remain constant and stable for Linda. Select the words for a glimpse of Linda’s unique relationship to the English language. Download the list as a pdf.

A

actually
again and against already amen American amortization angry any appellant arbitration Arthur ashamed aunt away and way

B

baby back Baptist beau and bow beautiful Benton body boiling bridges

C

Caleb call Carolina casserole Cecil character cheap chocolate cock come compensatory convention Cooper couple crazy cup cute

D

daddy days dead DeAnne dear December different disappoint do and due Dolly Parton doubt drink drive dumb

E

egress employment English every exculpatory

F

family fault favorite feature fiduciary figure fire first flight for free front fuck funny

G

Gardner-Webb girl go God good grand great Gruenfeld

H

half Hammerick handle Harper hates head hear and here hi and high hiccup hill history hole home homosexual honor house

I

idea imposing infringement injunction intellectual interested island

J

Jesus jokes Julie jurisdiction

K

keep Kelly knew and new knock know and no

L

lack last later Leo Linda listener literature long loss love Luke lunch

M

macaroni matricide mean milk mine mitigating mom month moral morning

N

name never night and tonight 19 North nothing

O

one out

P

period perpetuity person phone pick pimple place plane played please pork Powell pretty probate prunes pussy

R

read ready really recognized remember remind rest rock

S

sake Sally Sascha seat selfish settle seventeenth shit should show sitcom slippery soap son soon sorry southern speak springs started still stop store studies stuff subpoena suck supposed sure surgery synesthesia

T

talk tell their and there thing Thomas time today tomorrow tonight touch try Tuscaloosa twice

U

uncle unconstitutional understand up vegetarian

Y

Yale you