Diagrammatic Iconicity in EkeGusii: A relation between the structure of form and meaning

E. O. Mariera, E. G.Mecha, G. M.Anyona
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This paper mainly presents evidence for a relationship between language structure and meaning in EkeGusii, a Bantu language spoken in Kenya. The main argument is that the structure of language mirrors the structure of reality. A brief overview of other scholars demonstrates that diagrammatic iconicity shows universal tendencies. Five main ideas run down the discussion. Firstly, in EkeGusii, speakers sub-consciously cluster sounds around related meanings, evidencing gestalt and relative iconicity. Secondly, there is evidence of overlap of morphological and phonetic iconicity, an aspect of phonaesthesia. Thirdly, reduplication in certain infinitives demonstrates the reality of phono-iconicity in EkeGusii, augmented by unpleasant sound sequences. Fourthly, certain onomatopes in EkeGusii are actually diagrammatic, indicating that there is no one stop criterion for classifying overlapping types of icons. And finally, the paper posits that iconicity intersects with arbitrariness showing that language has both motivated and discrete symbols.
EkeGusii的图解象似性:形式结构与意义的关系
本文主要为肯尼亚班图语EkeGusii的语言结构和意义之间的关系提供证据。主要论点是语言的结构反映了现实的结构。对其他学者的简要综述表明,图解象似性具有普遍的倾向。讨论中有五个主要观点。首先,在EkeGusii中,说话人有意识地将声音聚集在相关的意义周围,证明了格式塔和相对象似性。其次,有证据表明形态象似性和语音象似性重叠,这是听觉的一个方面。第三,某些不定式中的重叠证明了EkeGusii中的表音象似性的真实性,并通过令人不快的声音序列来增强。第四,EkeGusii中的某些拟声词实际上是图解的,这表明对重叠类型的图标进行分类没有一站式标准。最后,本文假设象似性与任意性相交,表明语言既有动机符号,也有离散符号。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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