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. 2021 May;45(5):e12982.
doi: 10.1111/cogs.12982.

Phonation Types Matter in Sound Symbolism

Kimi Akita  1
Affiliations

Phonation Types Matter in Sound Symbolism

Kimi Akita. Cogn Sci. 2021 May.

Abstract

Sound symbolism is a non-arbitrary correspondence between sound and meaning. The majority of studies on sound symbolism have focused on consonants and vowels, and the sound-symbolic properties of suprasegmentals, particularly phonation types, have been largely neglected. This study examines the size and shape symbolism of four phonation types: modal and creaky voices, falsetto, and whisper. Japanese speakers heard 12 novel words (e.g., /íbi/, /ápa/) pronounced with the four types of phonation and rated the size and roundedness/pointedness each of the 48 stimuli seemed to represent on seven-point scales. The results showed that phonation types as well as consonantal and vocalic features influenced the ratings. Creaky voice was associated with larger and more pointed images than modal voice, which was in turn associated with larger and more pointed images than whisper. Falsetto was also associated with roundedness but not with smallness. These results shed new light on the acoustic approaches to sound symbolism and suggest the significance of phonation types and other suprasegmental features in the phenomenon.

Keywords: Bouba-kiki effect; Iconicity; Phonation; Sound symbolism; Voice quality.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Size ratings (from extremely small to large) by phonation type and vowel quality. The jitters represent the distribution of the ratings, and the width of violins corresponds to their relative density on the scale. The white squares are the means. Although /a/ tended to be associated with larger images than /i/, the ratings were more dependent on the phonation types. Creaky voice tended to be rated particularly large, and whisper particularly small.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Shape ratings (from extremely rounded to pointed) by phonation type and vowel quality. /a/ tended to be rated more rounded than /i/, while creaky voice tended to be judged as pointed; falsetto and whisper tended to be judged as rounded.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Shape ratings (from extremely rounded to pointed) by phonation type and place of consonant articulation. The bilabial consonants tended to be rated more rounded than the velar consonants.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Waveforms of /ápa/ in the four types of phonation. Creaky voice creates audible irregular pulses. Falsetto involves seemingly smooth pressure changes. Whisper creates limited pressure variations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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