Question

consider this claim:
independent of their meanings, some words have a more pleasing sound than others.
which piece of evidence better supports this claim?
evidence a: a linguist analyzed lists of words that sound the most beautiful to english speakers. he noted sound - related trends among the \beautiful\ words, such as having three syllables, having the accent on the first syllable, and containing the sounds m and l.
evidence b: the british council surveyed over forty thousand people worldwide about what the most beautiful word in the english language is. words with positive meanings dominated the list: mother, passion, smile, love, and eternity were the top five choices.

Explanation:

Evidence A focuses on sound - related aspects (number of syllables, accent placement, specific sounds) of words that are considered beautiful, which directly supports the claim that words can have a pleasing sound independent of meaning. Evidence B, on the other hand, shows that words with positive meanings are chosen as beautiful, which is related to meaning rather than just sound.

Answer:

Evidence A.