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Crosslinguistic and theoretical research on sound symbolism: A perspective from child language acquisition

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K13164
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Basic Section 02060:Linguistics-related
Research InstitutionKansai University (2021-2022)
Meikai University (2019-2020)

Principal Investigator

Kumagai Gakuji  関西大学, 文学部, 准教授 (40793849)

Project Period (FY) 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Keywords音声学 / 音韻論 / 音象徴 / 日本語 / 英語 / 中国語 / 韓国語 / 母語獲得 / 理論言語学 / 両唇音 / 実験言語学
Outline of Research at the Start

多くの言語において、子どもが子音を獲得する順序には共通点が多い。例えば、両唇音([p, m]など)は比較的獲得が早いが、[s]などの摩擦音は調音方法が難しいため、獲得が遅い。本研究では、音象徴(音が意味やイメージを持つという現象)の観点から、獲得の早い子音は「赤ちゃん」のイメージを持ち、獲得の遅い子音は「大人」のイメージを持つという仮説を立てる。そして、それらの音象徴的つながりが日本語、英語、中国語、韓国語において共通して観察されるかどうか実験的に検証する。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The present study experimentally examined whether the images of 'soft' and 'cute' associated with babyishness are evoked by names containing bilabial consonants in four languages (Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean). The results showed that the degree of such sound symbolic associations differed among the four languages. In addition, when it tested through experiments whether the phonological/morphological features appearing in child-directed words are appropriate for the names of baby diapers, only some of the hypotheses were supported.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、子どもの母語獲得の傾向に基づいた音象徴に関する仮説を検証した。従来の音象徴研究では音声学的理由以外によって生じる音象徴的つながりは存在するのかどうかについて十分検証されてこなかったという点で、学術的意義があった。また、社会的意義として、赤ちゃん用オムツの名前にふさわしい特徴を実験的に検証したことにより、本研究成果が商品の名付けに活用されることが期待できる。

Report

(5 results)
  • 2022 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2021 Research-status Report
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (42 results)

All 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 Other

All Int'l Joint Research (2 results) Journal Article (24 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 3 results,  Peer Reviewed: 22 results,  Open Access: 21 results) Presentation (15 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 7 results,  Invited: 1 results) Book (1 results)

  • [Int'l Joint Research] リオ・グランデ・ド・ノルテ国 立大学(ブラジル)

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Int'l Joint Research] リオ・グランデ・ド・ノルテ国立大学(ブラジル)

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] EXPRESS[P] in expressive phonology: Analysis of a nicknaming pattern using ‘princess’ in Japanese2023

    • Author(s)
      Kumagai Gakuji
    • Journal Title

      Phonology

      Volume: -

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] How Russian speakers express evolution in Pok?mon names: an experimental study with nonce words2022

    • Author(s)
      Kumagai Gakuji、Kawahara Shigeto
    • Journal Title

      Linguistics Vanguard

      Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Pages: 15-27

    • DOI

      10.1515/lingvan-2021-0101

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] What’s in a Japanese kawaii ‘cute’ name? A linguistic perspective2022

    • Author(s)
      Kumagai Gakuji
    • Journal Title

      Frontiers in Psychology

      Volume: 13

    • DOI

      10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1040415

    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Sound Symbolic Values of Phonological/Morphological Structures and Accentedness: A Case Study of Japanese Baby Diaper Names2022

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而・川原繁人
    • Journal Title

      Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan

      Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Pages: 97-108

    • DOI

      10.24467/onseikenkyu.26.3_97

    • ISSN
      1342-8675, 2189-5961
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] The sound-symbolic effects of consonants on food texture2022

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai, Ryoko Uno, Kazuko Shinohara
    • Journal Title

      The language of food in Japanese: Cognitive perspectives and beyond

      Volume: - Pages: 79-110

    • DOI

      10.1075/celcr.25.03kum

    • ISBN
      9789027210821, 9789027257994
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] What voiced obstruents symbolically represent in Japanese: evidence from the Pokemon universe2021

    • Author(s)
      Kawahara Shigeto、Kumagai Gakuji
    • Journal Title

      Journal of Japanese Linguistics

      Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Pages: 3-24

    • DOI

      10.1515/jjl-2021-2031

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] English speakers can infer Pokemon types based on sound symbolism2021

    • Author(s)
      Shigeto Kawahara, Mahayana C. Godoy, Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Frontiers in Psychology

      Volume: 12 Pages: 1-13

    • DOI

      10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648948

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Analysing spells in the Harry Potter series: Sound-symbolic effects of syllable lengths, voiced obstruents and low vowels2021

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Open Linguistics

      Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Pages: 511-530

    • DOI

      10.1515/opli-2021-0025

    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Do Labial Consonants Evoke the Images of Softness and Cuteness Cross-linguistically?: An Experiment with Chinese and Korean Speakers2021

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai, Changyun Moon
    • Journal Title

      Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan

      Volume: 25 Issue: 0 Pages: 87-96

    • DOI

      10.24467/onseikenkyu.25.0_87

    • NAID

      130008149169

    • ISSN
      1342-8675, 2189-5961
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Sound symbolism in Brazilian Portuguese Pokemon names: Evidence for cross-linguistic similarities and differences2021

    • Author(s)
      Mahayana C. Godoy, Andre Lucas Gomes, Gakuji Kumagai, Shigeto Kawahara
    • Journal Title

      Journal of Portuguese Linguistics

      Volume: 20(1) Issue: 1 Pages: 1-23

    • DOI

      10.5334/jpl.257

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] 短縮語形成に影響する音韻的要因について-重子音における有標性を中心に-2021

    • Author(s)
      文昶允・熊谷学而
    • Journal Title

      日語日文学研究

      Volume: 116 Pages: 61-78

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Sound-symbolic Effects of Voiced Obstruents and Mora Counts on Monster Names in <i>Digital Monster</i> and <i>Monster Hunter</i> and on the Spell Names in <i>Final Fantasy</i>2020

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai, Kazuaki Yoshitake, Hiromu Tanji, Takuya Matsuhashi
    • Journal Title

      Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan

      Volume: 24 Issue: 0 Pages: 63-70

    • DOI

      10.24467/onseikenkyu.24.0_63

    • NAID

      130007893525

    • ISSN
      1342-8675, 2189-5961
    • Year and Date
      2020-08-31
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Do sibilants fly? Evidence from the sound symbolic pattern in Pokemon names2020

    • Author(s)
      Shigeto Kawahara, Mahayana C. Godoy, Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Open Linguistics

      Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 386-400

    • DOI

      10.1515/opli-2020-0027

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [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
  • [Journal Article] How Abstract is Sound Symbolism?Labiality and Diaper Names in Japanese2020

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而・川原繁人
    • Journal Title

      GENGO KENKYU (Journal of the Linguistic Society of Japan)

      Volume: 157 Issue: 0 Pages: 149-161

    • DOI

      10.11435/gengo.157.0_149

    • NAID

      130007952942

    • ISSN
      0024-3914, 2185-6710
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] The pluripotentiality of bilabial consonants: The images of softness and cuteness in Japanese and English2020

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Open Linguistics

      Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Pages: 693-707

    • DOI

      10.1515/opli-2020-0040

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] 赤ちゃん用粉ミルクにおける両唇音の音象徴2020

    • Author(s)
      平原豪・熊谷学而
    • Journal Title

      第21回日本認知言語学会予稿集

      Volume: 21 Pages: 48-51

    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] The sound symbolic patterns in Pokemon move names in Japanese2020

    • Author(s)
      Kawahara, Shigeto, Michinori Suzuki, and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      ICU Working Papers in Linguistics 10. Festschrift for Prof. Junko Hibiya in the occasion of her retirement from ICU

      Volume: Year 2020 Pages: 17-30

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
  • [Journal Article] Inferring Pokémon Types Using Sound Symbolism: The Effects of Voicing and Labiality2019

    • Author(s)
      Kawahara, Shigeto and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan

      Volume: 23 Issue: 0 Pages: 111-116

    • DOI

      10.24467/onseikenkyu.23.0_111

    • NAID

      130007698462

    • ISSN
      1342-8675, 2189-5961
    • Year and Date
      2019-08-31
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Expressing Evolution in Pokemon Names: Experimental Explorations.2019

    • Author(s)
      Kawahara, Shigeto and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Journal of Japanese Linguistics

      Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Pages: 3-38

    • DOI

      10.1515/jjl-2019-2002

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] A sound-symbolic alternation to express cuteness and the orthographic Lyman’s Law in Japanese2019

    • Author(s)
      Kawahara, Shigeto and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Journal of Japanese Linguistics

      Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Pages: 39-74

    • DOI

      10.1515/jjl-2019-2004

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Accounting for stochastic nature of sound symbolism using Maximum Entropy model2019

    • Author(s)
      Kawahara, Shigeto, Hironori Katsuda and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Open Linguistics

      Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Pages: 109-120

    • DOI

      10.1515/opli-2019-0007

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Effects of Vowels and Voiced Obstruents on <i>Pokémon</i> Names: Experimental and Theoretical Approaches2019

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而・川原繁人
    • Journal Title

      GENGO KENKYU (Journal of the Linguistic Society of Japan)

      Volume: 155 Issue: 0 Pages: 65-99

    • DOI

      10.11435/gengo.155.0_65

    • NAID

      130007723515

    • ISSN
      0024-3914, 2185-6710
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Markedness in loanwords: The case of compound truncation in Japanese2019

    • Author(s)
      Moon, Changyun and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Journal Title

      Proceedings of GLOW in Asia 2019

      Volume: Year 2019 Pages: 497-506

    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Presentation] 赤ちゃん用オムツの名前におけるアクセントの音象徴2022

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而・川原繁人
    • Organizer
      第36回日本音声学会
    • Related Report
      2022 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] 連濁における右枝条件の心理的実在性の再検証2022

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而
    • Organizer
      関西音韻論研究会
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] 音象徴と音韻理論をつなぐ2022

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而
    • Organizer
      東京音韻論研究会
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] 複合語短縮における重音節のOCP:撥音の事例2022

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而
    • Organizer
      第17回音韻論フェスタ
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Sound symbolism in Pokemon names: An experiment with Russian speakers2021

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai, Shigeto Kawahara
    • Organizer
      東京音韻論研究会
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] 「ハリー・ポッター」シリーズにおける呪文の音象徴:音節・有声阻害音・母音2021

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而
    • Organizer
      国立国語研究所オンラインプロジェクト研究会
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Does Lyman’s Law count?2021

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai, Shigeto Kawahara
    • Organizer
      Annual Meeting on Phonology 2021
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [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
      第21回日本認知言語学会ワークショップ
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] Exploring sound-symbolic associations of cuteness and softness in Japanese and Korean2020

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai, Changyun Moon
    • Organizer
      28th Japanese/Korean Linguistics
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] Markedness in loanwords: The case of compound truncation in Japanese2019

    • Author(s)
      Moon, Changyun and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Organizer
      The 12th GLOW in Asia & The 21st Seoul International Conference on Generative Grammar (SICOGG)
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] 音節構造から生じる音象徴:赤ちゃん用オムツの名前の分析2019

    • Author(s)
      熊谷学而・川原繁人
    • Organizer
      第33回日本音声学会全国大会
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
  • [Presentation] A sound symbolic analysis of the monster names of Monster Hunter2019

    • Author(s)
      Tanji, Hiromu and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Organizer
      The 6th International Conference on Phonetics and Phonology (ICPP)
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The sound-symbolic effect of voiced obstruents on the spell names of Final Fantasy2019

    • Author(s)
      Matsuhashi, Takuya and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Organizer
      The 6th International Conference on Phonetics and Phonology (ICPP)
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] How is evolution expressed sound-symbolically? An analysis of the monster names of Digital Monster2019

    • Author(s)
      Yoshitake, Kazuaki and Gakuji Kumagai
    • Organizer
      The 6th International Conference on Phonetics and Phonology (ICPP)
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Presentation] The sound symbolic value of Japanese lexical pitch accent: A case study of baby diaper names2019

    • Author(s)
      Kumagai, Gakuji and Shigeto Kawahara
    • Organizer
      The 6th International Conference on Phonetics and Phonology (ICPP)
    • Related Report
      2019 Research-status Report
    • Int'l Joint Research
  • [Book] The language of food in Japanese: Cognitive perspectives and beyond2022

    • Author(s)
      Gakuji Kumagai, Ryoko Uno, Kazuko Shinohara
    • Total Pages
      32
    • Publisher
      John Benjamins
    • ISBN
      9789027210821
    • Related Report
      2021 Research-status Report

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Published: 2019-04-18   Modified: 2024-01-30  

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