The sound of size revisited - New insights from a German-Hungarian comparative study on sound symbolism. (May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Elsen, Hilke; Németh, Renáta; Kovács, László
• Is Part Of: Language sciences. Volume 85(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-05
• Subjects: Sound symbolism -- German -- Hungarian -- Lip rounding -- Crossed random effect model; Linguistics -- Periodicals; Language and languages -- Periodicals; Linguistique -- Périodiques; Langage et langues -- Périodiques; Language and languages; Linguistics; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 405
• DOI: 10.1016/j.langsci.2021.101360
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0388-0001

Abstract

Abstract: Languages consistently display sound symbolic effects. In our study we expand size-related sound symbolic research to German and Hungarian, languages with both rounded and unrounded high front vowels as well as/ø/, so that we can separate the effect of lip rounding and vowel backness. Our subjects had to rate artificial words with CVCVCV structure. For analysis we used crossed random effect models in a way that is novel in this field. Results confirm previous findings: voiced consonants and back vowels are perceived to be larger. Additionally, we show that lip rounding increases size. Highlights: Cross-linguistic experiment on size-related sound symbolism. German and Hungarian: we can separate the effect of lip rounding and vowel backness. Crossed random effects models to separate stimuli-level and subject-level effects. Sound symbolic effects: voicing and backness increase perceived size. Lip rounding increases size:/ø/was larger than/e/, /y/was larger than/i/.