Which brings me to Kiki BooBa and sacred language.

Language is sacred by virtue of the correlation maintained between name and form. And in the sacredness lies the power of mantra and poetry. (see Sacred Language, June 21, 2006 ) By contrast, we speak in ordinary tongues of Natural language which are understood by definition to be “arbitrary” – i.e. lacking any relationship between name and form.

Well, Kiki Booba is a bit of evidence that even Natural languages have just a hint of name and form. (And maybe elsewhere I will argue that it’s evidence for sacred language actually existing.) Kiki Booba goes like this……

A remote tribe calls one of the shapes I’ve shown above Booba and the other Kiki. Decide which is which and then read on.

This is a test to demonstrate that people may not attach sounds to shapes arbitrarily. In a psychological experiment first designed by Wolfgang Köhler 95% to 98% of people choose Kiki for the orange angular shape and Booba for the purple rounded shape.

It now appears that during language development the naming of objects is not completely arbitrary. “The rounded shape may most commonly be named Booba because the mouth makes a more rounded shape to produce that sound. Similarly a more taut, angular mouth shape is needed to make the sound Kiki. The sounds of a 'K' are harder and more forceful than those of a 'B', as well. Note also that, in the Roman alphabet, the angular shape mimics the angular letters K and I, while the rounded shape mimics the rounded letters B and O." (Wikipedia)

Now, this was interesting to me and I’ll get back to it one day in detail. For, I think it can be tied into what happens during meditation and during speaking in tongues. Consciousness expands and we regress to the semi-sacred correlation of name and form found in glossolalia (speaking in tongues).

But that’s enough for now. I find, I’d rather just enjoy a bit of Kiki Booba. I find together there’s a dance, a celebration going on.

Kiki Booba, isn’t he the leader of a Carribean band?

Or should I be content with French Chanson’s effect even sans translation?