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4 . 2. Imagic Icons

4 . 2. Imagic Icons. Explanations for Magnitude Sound Symbolism High, front vowels (such as [i]) are associated with smallness (and related notions); low, back vowels (such as [a, u]) are associated with largeness (and related notions). Explanations: Articulatory and acoustic

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4 . 2. Imagic Icons

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  1. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Explanations for Magnitude Sound Symbolism • High, front vowels (such as [i]) are associated with smallness (and related notions); low, back vowels (such as [a, u]) are associated with largeness (and related notions). • Explanations: Articulatory and acoustic • Articulatory configurations of vowels– • Sapir (1929), Paget (1930), Bolinger (1968): “The size of the mouth cavity ... is matched with the meaning.”“The small oral volume of [i] and larger oral volume of [u] or [a] are responsible for a kinesthetic impression of size associated with different vowels.”

  2. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Peterfalvi (1965): “The further you penetrate the body, the darker it is there.’’ • “Darkness”/“brightness” of vowels are associated with large and small size, respectively. • Brown (1958): • Large objects usually produce dark (low frequency) sounds when pushed or moved in certain ways, whereas small objects produce bright (high frequency) sounds.

  3. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Limitation of the explanations based on articulatory configurations – • Pitches and consonants? • High tones (with higher F0), voiceless obstruents (consonants formed by obstructing outward airflow, causing increased air pressure in the vocal tract; subdivided into plosives, fricatives, and affricates), dental, alveolar, palatal and front velars (with higher frequencies of bursts, frication noise and/or formant transitions) are associated with SMALLNESS. Low tones (with lower F0), voiced consonants, labials and back velars (with lower frequency) are associated with LARGENESS.

  4. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Acoustic: The Frequency Code Theory– • John Ohala (1982, 1994) – • A general “frequency code” explains several types of size (magnitude) sound symbolism: high frequency sounds connote small size, due to the fact that small animals make high frequency sounds and large animals make low frequency sounds. • The potential to unify claims for magnitude symbolism in vowels, consonants, tones, and intonation. • vocalizations by dominant and aggressive individuals are low-pitched, whereas vocalizations by submissive individuals are high-pitched.

  5. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Lower pitch: larger • Animals in competition for some resource attempt to intimidate their opponent by trying to appear as large as possible. • Body size (or apparent size) • The F0 of voice: the size of the signaler • F0 is inversely related to the mass of the vibrating membrane (vocal cords in mammals), which, in turn, is correlated with overall body mass. • High F0: to seem small and non-threatening • Animal females are smaller in body size and vocal organ than males.

  6. 4.2. Imagic Icons • The adult male larynx: 50% larger than the adult female’s in the anterior-posterior dimension •  lower F0 • The male larynx: also lower in the throat than the female’s, • making the vocal tract about 15-20% longer. •  lower resonances

  7. 4.2. Imagic Icons • A lower F0  a larger vocalizer  related concepts such as aggression, dominance, and other related concepts, such as assertiveness, confidence, importance, etc; • A higher F0  appeasement, submission, and related concepts in the opposite direction, such as social subordinacy, politeness, non-threat.

  8. 4.2. Imagic Icons • SMALLNESS / LARGENESS: related notions • S: feminine – L: masculine • S: friendly – L: aggressive • S: lovely, affectionate – L: formidable • S: familiar – L: unfamiliar • S: simple – L: complex • S: informal, casual – L: formal, rigid • S: uncertain, flimsy, less confident - certain, firm, confident • S: faster – L: slower • S: near – L: far • ……

  9. 4.2. Imagic Icons • The Frequency Code: Manifestations in Pitch (F0) • 1. Intonation: • Languages use high and/or rising F0 to mark questions – and low and/or falling F0 to mark statements. • High and/or rising F0  deference, politeness, submission, lack of confidence • Low/or falling F0  assertiveness, authority, aggression, confidence, threat. • 食過未呀？ • 食過喇！  • 是他？  • 是他！ 

  10. 4.2. Imagic Icons • 2. Tone Changes in Cantonese (F0) • Tone sandhi:In Guangzhou Cantonese • 陰平+陰平: 53 + 53 > 55 + 53 • example: 高53 +山53 > 高55山53 • 陰平+陰入: 53 + 55 > 55 + 55 • example: 高53 + 足55 > 高55足55 • In Hong Kong Cantonese: no tone sandhi • The 變音 pin’jŒm (tone change) phenomenon in Cantonese • 55 變音﹕人21 > 人55 • 35 變音﹕檯21 > 檯35 • 變音 refers to a very particular tone change in Cantonese which affects the original meaning of a word with an unchanged base tone in a systematic way. • “small things” or “familiar things one often speaks of”

  11. 4.2. Imagic Icons • 人21 > 一個人55 (only one person, one person alone) • 人21 > 個個人55 (that person, with derogatory, contemptuous sense) • 講檯21 > 一張檯35、飯檯35 • 糖21 in its base tone means “sugar” • 糖35 means “candy” • Derivation of 變音 • 變音from a 陰平 tone is almost always high level (55:) • 變音 from 陽平、陽上、陽去 tones is almost always high rising (35)

  12. 4.2. Imagic Icons

  13. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Characteristics of 變音 • (1) Some of the 變音words have diminutive senses (“small things”, “familiar things”, “unimportant things”, “lovely things”) • 正門21、大門21 ---- 橫門35（旁門）、後門35 • 糖21 “sugar” --- 糖35 “candy” • 女23woman, female --- 女35daughter • 雞鴨33 --- 燒鴨35 • 天鵝21 ---- 一只鵝35、燒鵝35、鵝35頭 • 亞陳、亞劉、老林、老楊、爸爸、哥哥、姐姐 • (2) 變音 tends to occur in nouns, and it usually occurs on the last syllable of a noun. • 拖鞋21 > 拖鞋35 • 公園21 > 公園35 • 廚房21 > 廚房35 • 書檯、楊桃、南洋、粉條、女人、面盆、二胡、白油、臘腸、藥丸、熱頭、老母、大女、龍眼、書架、魚片、小販、雞蛋、宵夜

  14. 4.2. Imagic Icons • 變音 in Cantonese and 兒化in Mandarin • The retroflex suffix 兒 in Mandarin: (「兒」suffixation [兒化]). • The major characteristics of 兒化 in Mandarin: • (1) 兒化 words often have diminutive senses (“small things”, “familiar things”, “unimportant things”, “lovely things”) • e.g. 大刀 > 小刀兒 • (2) 兒化 tends to occur in nouns, and it usually occurs on the last syllable of a noun. • e.g. 畫(to draw, verb) > 畫兒 (drawing, picture, noun) • 小鳥兒 • 樹根兒 • 黃21 yellow > 黃35yolk (Cantonese) • 黃 yellow > 黃兒yolk (Mandarin) • 帽 cap > 帽35small cap (Cantonese) • 帽 cap > 帽兒 small cap (Mandarin) • nominalization marker, diminutive marker

  15. 4.2. Imagic Icons • 一壺水、水壺[煮水用的大壺] (11) -- 茶壺、水壺[乘茶水用的小壺] (35) • 月亮 (22) -- 蓮蓉月(35) • 徐小鳳 (11) -- 阿徐(35) • 何韻詩 (11) -- 阿何(35) • 黃飛鴻 (11) -- 黃仔 (35) • 蟲 (11) -- 蟲蟲(35)、妹妹(35)、弟弟(35) • 桃花 (11) -- 一只桃(35) • 梨花 (11) -- 一只梨(35) • 繩索 (11) -- 一條繩(35) • 鹿角膠 (22) -- 一只鹿(35) • 鴨絨 (33) -- 一只鴨、燒鴨(35) • 衫裙(11) -- 圍裙(35) • 鞋襪 (11) -- 拖鞋(35) • 園林 (11) -- 公園(35)

  16. 4.2. Imagic Icons • 駝峰 (11) -- 阿駝(35) • 五胡亂華 (11) -- 二胡(35) • 一碟送 (22) -- 一只碟(35) • 婦女(13) -- 靚女(35) • 樓房 (11) -- 一層樓、三樓(35) • 文化 (11) -- 英文(35)

  17. 4.2. Imagic Icons • The Frequency Code: Manifestations in Vowels (F2) • 1. Diminutives in English • A diminutive [< Latin deminuere‘to lessen’] is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object named, intimacy, or endearment. • A comparison of diminutive forms in Mandarin, Cantonese, and English [異曲同工]

  18. 4.2. Imagic Icons • English diminutives -- • The most common form: “diminutive ending,” a syllable tacked on to the end of a name that signifies “little” and related concepts. • (1) –let [lit] (small, unimportant things; < Old French -elet) • booklet, piglet, leaflet, starlet, craterlet, riverlet … • (2) –ette [et] (small, inferior things, female; < Old French, feminine of -et) • kitchenette, cigarette, diskette (small things), leatherette (imitation, inferior thing), usherette, majorette (female) • (3) –ess [is] (female) < Old French -esse • lioness, waitress, actress, authoress, manageress • (4) –ling (one that is young, small, or inferior) • duckling, princeling (a prince judged to be of minor status or importance), weakling, hireling, underling (one of lesser rank or authority than another)

  19. 4.2. Imagic Icons • (5) –ee [i:] (small, passive) < French passive participle ending –é • bootee (a soft, usually knitted shoe for a baby), employee, trainee, nominee • (6) – y, ie [i] (indicating smallness, intimacy, familiarity, endearment, etc) • kitty, pussy, puppy, doggy, movies, undies, nighty (nightie), daddy, mummy, aunty (auntie), Aussy, … • English nicknames: • Rebert – Bob (truncated) – Bobby (diminutive) • Magerate – Mag (truncated) – Maggy (diminutive) • Albert > Bertie • Barbara > Barbie • Amanda > Mandy • Andrew > Andy

  20. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Albert > Bertie • Barbara > Barbie • Amanda > Mandy • Andrew > Andy • Charles > Charlie • Patricia > Patty • Angela > Angie • Anna > Annie • Bernard > Bernie • James > Jimmy • Elizabeth > Betty • Frances > Fanny • John > Johnny

  21. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Female given names in Chinese: • 芬fen、鳳feng、心xin、怡yi、儀yi、玲ling、琳lin、敏min、英ying、潔jie、菁jing、靜jing、思si、婷ting、麗li、絲si、欣xin、馨xin、杏xing、茵yin、芝zhi、芷zhi … • Female referents in Chinese: • 妻qi、妾qie、姬ji、伎（妓）ji、姐jie、姊zi、妗jin、妹mei、姨yi、妣bi、婢bi、姘pin、妮ni、媒mei、娥e、嫡di …

  22. 4.2. Imagic Icons • 2. Demonstratives • Words with higher F2: proximal (near) • Words with lower F2: distal (far) • Cantonese: ni (proximal) – ko (distal) • Mandarin: zhe (proximal) – na (distal) • English: this (proximal) – that (distal) • German: diese (proximal) – das (distal) • Dutch: dit (proximal) – dat (distal) • Chinook (Amerindian): i (proxmial) – u (distal) • Maya (Amerindian): li (proxmial) – la (distal) • Tamil: idi (proximal) – adi (distal) • Thai: nii (proximal) – nan (distal) • Burmese: dil (proximal) – thoo (distal)

  23. 4.2. Imagic Icons • Traunmüller’s (1996) statistics:i > e > a > o > u • “Among these cases, 32 supported our hypothesis and there were only 4 counterexamples. We can be highly confident in this hypothesis, since the binomial probability of observing no more than 4 counterexamples among 36 cases is only 1.1 10-7. Table 1 shows the distribution of the vowels in the sample.” • Chinese: Yue, Hakka, Wu (download here)

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