Synesthaesia

     Synesthaesia...(or at least I think thats how its spelt) what is it? I know it sounds like anaesthesia which is something people use to put you to sleep (actually I mean docters), and maybe to some this may sound like a type of fabric (I know it did to me!) but its actually not.
    
     Synesthesia is a (I won't say disease) condition. Now its really too complex to just explain it in one sentence, I mean on the websites I checked? The explanation was like 1 million paragraphs long! Ok thats an exaggeration...but you get the point!

     Ok I promise I'll get to the point now...Synesthesia is a condition well I guess you could say its sort of like an umbrella...It has different forms. There are over 60 (one website said 63) types of synesthaesia. There's colour synesthaesia, where certain tastes, sights, smells, numbers etc. have specific colours, like the letter A might be red.
   
     There's also personification. This type was identified in the late 1800's but wasn't really dwelled upon (don't you love the word dwelled? Its like a dwarf living in a mushroom!). This type means that certain words, numbers, letters, smells, tastes etc. have certain personalities. Like the letter 9 may be a tall dark handsome stranger! (To me personally I always thought of it as a tall girl, probably the oldest in her family (maybe blonde? definately fair-haired,)who enjoys to cook. She is slightly traditional and is dedicated to her family. To me 9 is a pioneer number. Don't even ask what that means...'cause I don't know!)

     There's also a number form, but I didn't really understand how it works.

     Theres also lexical ---> gustatory synesthaesia. Its sort of like when words, sounds (you know the drill) evoke a certain taste. Pretty cool I think, kind of like having a perrsonal restoraunt on your tongue. Ooh...I really feel like having cinnamon, apple and pecan pie. Is there even such a thing?

     One website said that more women have it than men...I don't know if thats true but...

     Some traits are like a mild confusion between left and right, difficulties in arithmatic and sense of direction. Some even have photographic memory...(lucky ducks, that'd make studying for tests a snap!) Also Autism and Epilepsy can occur. I hope not though. Synesthaesia has been so far linked to chromosome 2 which is also linked to autism and epilepsy...Synesthetes are also likely to participate in creative activities.

     Below is a picture used in some synesthaesia tests.


Which would you call "bouba" and which would you call "kiki"?
Most call the second shape bouba because the mouth makes a sort of roundish shape while saying bouba-I don't know why but to me the second shape is just..."bouba" like the first is just "kiki". Not because the first is jagged and tough and K is a tough letter to say, but because it just is. What do you all think?

References: Wikipedia, google images and http://home.comcast.net/~sean.day/html/types.htm

Go to http://home.comcast.net/~sean.day/html/types.htm if you're interested in different types.

Ciao, Ciao!