What do English speakers know about gera-gera and yota-yota?: A cross-linguistic investigation of mimetic words for laughing and walking
What do English speakers know about gera-gera and yota-yota?: A cross-linguistic investigation of mimetic words for laughing and walking
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说英语的人对 gera-gera 和 yota-yota 了解多少？：对笑和走的模仿词的跨语言调查
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发表时间：
2007
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通讯作者：
G. Vigliocco
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作者：
N. Iwasaki;D. Vinson;G. Vigliocco
词的形式和意义之间的关系被认为是任意的;然而，日语模仿词giseigo和gitaigo是例外。对于giseigo（模仿声音的单词），单词的声音和它所指的声音之间存在直接的相似性（“象似性”）;对于gitaigo（模仿方式/状态的单词），单词的声音和它所指的声音之间存在象征关系（“声音象征主义”）。
这个词所指的方式/状态。虽然母语使用者直觉地认识到这些关系，但其他语言的使用者是否能够从声音中获得日语模仿词的含义是值得怀疑的。在目前的研究中，我们要求母语英语
没有日语经验的说话者听日语模仿的笑（giseigo）和走路（gitaigo）的单词，并在语义差异尺度上对每个单词的含义进行评级（例如，“优雅-VULGAR”（笑），“优雅-CLUMSY”（走）。我们比较了英语和日语使用者的评分，发现英语使用者对笑的许多特征的理解与日语母语使用者相似（例如，包含/a/的单词被评定为更有趣、更愉快、更好和更令人愉快的笑声）。它们只在一些评价性质的音义关系方面有所不同（例如，包含/u/的笑的单词是
被评为更女性化和优雅，而那些包含/e/的被评为不那么优雅和令人不快）。相比之下，对于指步行的单词，英语使用者的评分与母语为日语的人有很大差异。母语为日语的人认为以浊辅音开头的单词是指一个大步行走的大人物，以无辅音开头的单词是更均匀的步伐，女性化和正式的行走;英语的人只对浊辅音和大人物行走之间的关系敏感。因此，有些音义联想是语言特有的。本研究还证实了拟态方式词的常规化和词汇化的特点。
The relation between word form and meaning is considered arbitrary; however, Japanese mimetic words, giseigo and gitaigo , are exceptions. For giseigo (words mimicking voices), there is a direct resemblance(‘iconicity’) between the sound of the word and the sound it refers to; for gitaigo (words that mimic manners/states) there is a symbolic relationship (‘sound symbolism’) between the
sound and the manner/state to which the word refers. While native speakers intuitively recognize these relationships, it is questionable whether speakers of other languages are able to access the meaning of Japanese mimetic words from their sounds. In the current study, we asked native English
speakers with no prior experience with the Japanese language to listen to Japanese mimetic words for laughing (giseigo) and for walking (gitaigo), and rate each word’s meaning on semantic differential scales (e.g.,“GRACEFUL-VULGAR”(laughing,“GRACEFUL-CLUMSY”(walking). We compared English and Japanese speakers’ ratings and found that English speakers construed many of the features of laughing in a similar manner as Japanese native speakers (e.g., words containing /a/ were rated as more amused, cheerful, nice and pleasant laughs). They differed only with regard to a few sound-meaning relationships of an evaluative nature (e.g., words for laughing containing /u/ were
rated as more feminine and graceful, and those containing /e/ were rated as less graceful and unpleasant). In contrast, for the words referring to walking, English speakers’ ratings differed greatly from native Japanese speakers’. Native Japanese speakers rated words beginning with voiced consonants as referring to a big person walking with big strides, and words beginning with voiceless consonants as more even-paced, feminine and formal walking; English speakers were sensitive only to the relation between voiced consonants and a big person walking. Hence, some sound-meaning associations were language-specific. This study also confirmed the more conventional and lexicalized nature of the mimetic words of manner.