1. Chinspinner

    Chinspinner Contributor Contributor

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    Can't think of a word

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Chinspinner, Apr 3, 2015.

    I'm stuck on the mobile so researching on the net is a pain in the arse.

    What is the term for when a word sounds like it's meaning in kind of an onomatopoeic sense. i.e greetings tend to sound genial, words like "yes" sound soft, while "no" or "stop" sound harsh?
     
  2. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    Beyond onomatopoeic? Is there another word?

    What's the context? Like, what's the sentence?
     
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  3. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    I take it you mean other than simple onomatopoeia, yes?
     
  4. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Are you sure there is a word? I see lots of discussions of the softness and harshness of words, but no specific name for the phenomena comes up.

    100 Beautiful and Ugly Words
     
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  5. Wreybies

    Wreybies Thrice Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Ideophone

    These examples are from Wikipedia.
    • pitter-patter; the sound of rain drops
    • twinkle; the sound of something sparkling or shiny
    • swish; the sound of swift movement
    • splish-splash; the sound of water splashing
    • ta-da; the sound of a fanfare
    • bling-bling; glitter, sparkle
    • yoink; the "sound" of stealing/snatching
    Some of these are still clearly based in simple onomatopoeia, like pitter-patter, but there is no actual sound associated with twinkle, though the sound of the word has a certain evocative quality of the visual phenomenon.
     
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  6. Chinspinner

    Chinspinner Contributor Contributor

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    Maybe I imagined it, I am sure there is a term related specifically to the propensity for languages to develop words whose general sound mirror their meaning.
     
  7. GingerCoffee

    GingerCoffee Web Surfer Girl Contributor

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    Using the bolded section as a search string I found this:
    The bridge of iconicity: from a world of experience to the experience of language
    Iconicity: 2) Symbolic, emblematic, or representative
     
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  8. Chinspinner

    Chinspinner Contributor Contributor

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  9. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    If you find the word, come back and let us know!
     
  10. lustrousonion

    lustrousonion Senior Member

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    Not sure, but maybe phonetic-symbolism?
     

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