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Article In: Asian Languages and Linguistics: Online-First Articles

The typological pattern of Kam expressives

A comparative concept

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Abstract
Expressives, which vividly convey a speaker’s emotions beyond the literal meaning of words, are a functionally significant element in many East Asian languages, including Kam. This study consolidates the typological patterns of Kam expressives using a comparative concept approach. By integrating construction grammar with comparative concept methodologies, it categorizes data collected from fieldwork into ten expressive patterns, classified as disyllabic, trisyllabic, tetrasyllabic and special constructions. The study provides a comprehensive overview of Kam expressives, outlining their categories and presenting specific examples that distinguish them from reduplication, iconicity, onomatopoeia and sound symbolism. By expanding the typological spectrum, this study contributes to the literature with a novel comparative perspective and an updated theoretical framework for understanding expressives.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methods and materials
    • 2.1Research design and planning
    • 2.2Data collection
    • 2.3Data selection
  • 3.Expressive types
    • 3.1Disyllabic expressives
      • 3.1.1AA
      • 3.1.2AB
    • 3.2Trisyllabic types
      • 3.2.1ABB
      • 3.2.2ABC
      • 3.2.3VBB
    • 3.3Tretrasyllabic types
      • 3.3.1ABAC
      • 3.3.2ABCC
      • 3.3.3ABCD
    • 3.4Special constructions
      • 3.4.1ɬwa:n5 + ap + X
      • 3.4.2Wɛ4+ color + wɛ4 + color
  • 4.Expressive and related phenomena
    • 4.1Expressives and Reduplication
    • 4.2Expressives and iconicity
    • 4.3Onomatopoeia and sound symbolism
  • 5.Conclusion
  • 6.Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Data availability
  • Disclosure statement
  • Institutional review board statement
  • Biographical note
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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