What role do the sounds of words play in the formation of meaning?

Everyone knows that onomatopoeia such as meow, bang and tick-tock can imitate environmental sounds. But many languages use ideophones such as zig zag, lemme lemme or quatto quatto to depict non-audible events, such as movements or moods. Even common words such as slip or stumble, here or there reproduce certain aspects of the realities they designate through sound.

This phenomenon is called phonosymbolism.

The presentation will address the topic from a naturalistic perspective, showing the tools and methods that can be applied to the analysis of speech sounds to explore the connection between their sensory values and their linguistic-cultural values, but also suggesting some theoretical implications for the eternal debate on the origins of speech.

Lecture by Luca Nobile, Bourgogne Europe University of Dijon