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1- Tarbiat Modares University
2- Tarbiat Modares University , golfamar@modares.ac.ir
2- Tarbiat Modares University , golfamar@modares.ac.ir
Abstract: (1563 Views)
Defined as a direct, non-conventional link between sound and meaning, the linguistic phenomenon of sound symbolism has empirically been studied for nearly 100 years, and multiple studies have been conducted to reveal the various aspects of the phenomenon. However, no significant studies have done to explain exactly why the phenomenon transpires. That is partly because it has not been studied on the basis of any semantic analysis and/or theory. Nevertheless, the American linguist Edward Sapir first pinpointed the two likely factors that can both or separately be involved in the phenomenon: the acoustic factor, or the articulatory factor (or a combination of both). On the basis of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) in Cognitive Semantics, the current paper attempts to explain for the first time how either of the factors or both of them can contribute to the occurrence of the phenomenon. Thus, the question why sound symbolism happens may find a satisfactory answer. Moreover, the answer may pave the way for further theoretical considerations on the potential development of "cognitive" phonology.
Keywords: Sound symbolism, acoustic factor, articulatory factor, conceptual metaphor, conceptual metonymy
Article Type: Review - analytic article |
Subject:
Linguistics
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