Iconicity in fictional and natural languages: an experimental study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36505/ExLing-2022/13/0014/000556Keywords:
Psycholinguistic experiment, Iconicity, Phonosemantics, Fictional and natural languageAbstract
Language iconicity has recently become an important issue in cognitive studies. The phonetic form of iconic linguistic signs is assumed to be motivated and aligned with certain physical properties of the signified, thus making it more understandable and recognisable for the language user. The hypothesis underlying the present research is that iconic words in fictional languages are constructed according to the same or similar principles as iconic words in natural languages. The paper discusses the results of a series of psycholinguistic experiments that form part of a broader study of iconicity in fictional languages and aim to test this hypothesis.
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