auroral chorus
n.— «The sounds are as mysterious as the lights themselves. Some are downright eerie, like Halloween ghost-sound-effects tapes. Others are almost familiar and comforting, similar, in fact, to the chirps of crickets or frogs. The lights also produce sounds suggesting the calls of tropical birds, whales or dolphins, which have become popular meditative-music fodder in recent years. The lull of the auroral chorus, however, is often broken up with distinctly sci-fi sounds known as whistlers—magnificent bursts of radio energy that begin in the high-frequency range and slide down to a low pitch.» —“The northern lights sing songs of love” by Chris Johns Globe and Mail (Toronto, Canada) Mar. 17, 2001. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
The now-extinct Tocharian languages were spoken in western China in the latter half of the first millennium CE. We have only fragments of written texts in these languages, but here’s part of a Tocharian love poem that conveys emotions that echo...
On a busy day in the emergency room, Alisa of Dallas, Texas, told an efficient colleague that she was really humming, meaning it as a compliment. Her colleague took offense, maintaining that humming meant “smelly.” Since the 18th century, English...