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Arbitrariness and Iconicity in Cross-Linguistic Sound Symbolism: Foundational Research through Experimental Comparison of Languages

Research Project

Project/Area Number 20K00567
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 02060:Linguistics-related
Research InstitutionTokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

Principal Investigator

Shinohara Kazuko  東京農工大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00313304)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 秋田 喜美  名古屋大学, 人文学研究科, 准教授 (20624208)
宇野 良子  東京農工大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (40396833)
Project Period (FY) 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Keywords音象徴 / 恣意性 / 有契性 / 言語間比較 / 阻害音 / 有声性 / 有声阻害音 / 硬さ / 子音 / 共鳴音 / 実験 / 非知覚的イメージ / 加速度 / 認知言語学 / 音声学 / 通言語研究
Outline of Research at the Start

「ブーバ」と「キキ」が図形の名前だとすると、後者の方が尖った(直線的な)図形のように聞こえる。このような音象徴現象は多くの言語に共通しており、身体基盤をもつゆえに普遍的だと信じられてきた。一方、近年では音象徴の一部に言語による違いが発見され、注目されている。本研究では、音象徴の言語間差異を複数の言語で実証的に確認し、その原因を、(1)オノマトペ体系を含む言語の音韻体系による差異、(2)言語音の音声学的性質ににもとづく差異、という2側面から説明するための基礎研究を行う。多様な言語での調査に応用可能な方法を確立し、音象徴に影響を及ぼす言語の恣意性と有契性の研究の基盤固めを目標とする。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to empirically investigate which aspects of sound symbolic correspondences exhibit cross-linguistic differences by conducting experiments in multiple languages, and to build hypotheses and lay the groundwork for theoretical explanation based on two aspects: (1) differences rooted in the arbitrary systematicity of phonemic contrasts, and (2) differences based on the embodied iconicity of the phonetic properties of individual language sounds. During the research period, we empirically confirmed that certain linguistic sounds (phonetic features) tend to evoke properties such as shapes, hardness, and maliciousness. We also confirmed that some sound symbolic associations vary across languages. From this, we argued that some of the causes of cross-linguistic differences in sound symbolism lie in the morpho-phonological systematicity of language.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

音象徴はこれまで、身体基盤をもつ有契的現象であり言語普遍的であるとされてきたが、本研究では音象徴が個別言語の恣意的体系性に起因する側面、また音声学的身体基盤に起因しつつも言語間で異なる有契性をもつことを実験的に確認した。認知科学をはじめ音象徴の研究を発展させている諸分野と比べ言語学は実験的手法を必ずしも得意としないが、本研究では実験を中心とした方法をとり、かつ類型論的モデル化という、言語学が他の分野よりも得意とする方法を用いる点に学術的独創性がある。また本研究により、多様な言語での調査に応用できる研究方法が学術共同体に共有され、多くの研究者が継続的に検証し続けていく基礎を提示できたと考える。

Report

(5 results)
  • 2023 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2022 Research-status Report
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (12 results)

All 2023 2022 2021 2020

All Journal Article (3 results) (of which Peer Reviewed: 3 results,  Open Access: 3 results) Presentation (7 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 4 results) Book (2 results)

  • [Journal Article] Exploring the Positional Effects in Sound Symbolism: The Case of Hardness Judgments by English and Japanese Speakers2022

    • Author(s)
      Kazuko Shinohara and Ryoko Uno
    • Journal Title

      Languages

      Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Pages: 179-179

    • DOI

      10.3390/languages7030179

    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Visual and Proprioceptive Perceptions Evoke Motion-Sound Symbolism: Different Acceleration Profiles Are Associated With Different Types of Consonants.2020

    • Author(s)
      Shinohara K, Kawahara S, Tanaka H.
    • Journal Title

      Front Psychol.

      Volume: 11 Pages: 589797-589797

    • DOI

      10.3389/fpsyg.2020.589797

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] What’s in a villain’s name?2020

    • Author(s)
      Uno Ryoko、Shinohara Kazuko、Hosokawa Yuta、Atsumi Naho、Kumagai Gakuji、Kawahara Shigeto
    • Journal Title

      Review of Cognitive Linguistics

      Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Pages: 428-457

    • DOI

      10.1075/rcl.00066.uno

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Presentation] Does Japanese have language-specific sound symbolism? A comparison with English and French.2023

    • Author(s)
      Kazuko Shinohara, Ryoko Uno, Takanobu Tobishima
    • Organizer
      he 16th International Cognitive Linguistics Conference,
    • Related Report
      2023 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Effects of language development on sound symbolic associations.2022

    • Author(s)
      Watanabe, Tomomi, Momoko Hishitani, Sachi Itagaki, Shota A. Murai, Haruka Suzuki, Yuji Shimada, Kazuko Shinohara, Ryoko Uno, Kohta Kobayashi
    • Organizer
      24th International Congress on Acoustics
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] What students EAT at school: Colloquial metaphors about criticism and punishments2022

    • Author(s)
      Shinohara, kazuko, Ryoko Uno, Yoshihiro Matsunaka.
    • Organizer
      Researching and Applying Metaphor 15
    • Related Report
      2022 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] 音象徴の発達:母語の言語経験による影響2021

    • Author(s)
      渡邊智美・菱谷桃子・板垣沙知・鈴木悠加・村井翔太・島悠二・篠原和子・宇野良子・小林耕太
    • Organizer
      日本赤ちゃん学会 第21回学術集会
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Sounds of Hardness: Change of sound symbolism during language development.2021

    • Author(s)
      Watanabe, Tomomi, Momoko Hishitani, Sachi Itagaki, Haruka Suzuki, Shota Murai, Yuji, Shima, Kazuko Shinohara, Ryoko Uno, Kohta Kobayashi.
    • Organizer
      第44回日本神経科学大会,
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] 音象徴研究から理論と実践を考える:キャラクター名・商品名の分析をもとに2020

    • Author(s)
      篠原和子,田中友章,市原禄朗,清水拓夢,鈴木沙英,平原豪,熊谷学而,川原繁人
    • Organizer
      日本認知言語学会第21回全国大会(ワークショップ)
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] TIME IS MOTION metaphors in Fijian.2020

    • Author(s)
      Shinohara, Kazuko and Yuichi Asai
    • Organizer
      7th UK Cognitive Linguistics Conference
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Book] 認知言語学の最前線:山梨正明教授古希記念論文集2021

    • Author(s)
      篠原和子(部分執筆),児玉一宏・小山哲春(編)
    • Total Pages
      416
    • Publisher
      ひつじ書房
    • ISBN
      9784894769939
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Book] 協同医書出版社2020

    • Author(s)
      佐藤公治・田中彰吾・篠原和子・本多慎一郎・玉木義規・中里瑠美子・三上恭平
    • Total Pages
      196
    • Publisher
      協同医書出版社
    • ISBN
      9784763910882
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report

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Published: 2020-04-28   Modified: 2025-01-30  

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