4.2. Imagic Icons.ppt

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.” 4.2. Imagic Icons P