2024/12/03 by David M. Sidhu · 1 voice · 1 citation
Psychology · #Categorization, perception, and language #Language, Metaphor, and Cognition #Multisensory perception and integration
paper · doi:10.1111/lnc3.70006
openalex publication_date 2024/12/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
ABSTRACT Sound symbolism refers to associations between language sounds (i.e., phonemes) and particular properties (e.g., certain shapes). For example, phonemes like /m/ are associated with roundness, while phonemes like /k/ are associated with spikiness. In this paper I review the accumulating evidence that different instances of sound symbolism can be observed as patterns in real words in existing lexicons (e.g., /m/ occurring more frequently in words for round things). The properties examined include shape, size, texture, valence and arousal. Such effects are an instance of both iconicity (words whose forms resemble their meanings) and systematicity (largescale patterns in the forms of related words in a language). I also discuss open questions on the topic, including how such patterns emerge, and their effects on language processing.