Chapter published in:
Iconicity in Cognition and across Semiotic Systems
Edited by Sara Lenninger, Olga Fischer, Christina Ljungberg and Elżbieta Tabakowska
[Iconicity in Language and Literature 18] 2022
► pp. 351–368

The correlation between meaning and verb formation in Japanese sound-symbolic words

| Kanazawa Seiryo University

This study uses quantitative analysis to explore the correlation between meaning and the verb formation of Japanese sound-symbolic words. The study shows that the verb formation of Japanese sound-symbolic words may not fit into traditional categories, such as phonomimes, phenomimes, and psychomimes, but is better categorized based on differences in the sensory modalities of the words. Furthermore, it suggests that iconicity is not a crucial factor for the verb formation of sound-symbolic words; the sharing of information between the speaker and the hearer is a more comprehensive motivation for verb formation, supported by psychological, cognitive linguistic, and typological concepts.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Previous studies and aim of this study
  • 3.Method
  • 4.Findings
  • 5.Psychological motivation and information sharing
  • 6.Linguistic motivation
  • 7.Typological possibilities
  • 8.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 10 November 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/ill.18.16sug
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