The Rumpus.net » language origins http://therumpus.net Books, Music, Movies, Art, Politics, Sex, Other Wed, 22 May 2013 16:45:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Does My Word Sound Big? http://therumpus.net/2011/07/does-my-word-sound-big/ http://therumpus.net/2011/07/does-my-word-sound-big/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:10:15 +0000 Lisa Dusenbery http://therumpus.net/?p=83769 Have we been overlooking sound symbolism? Recent studies have shown that humans connect certain sounds with sensory perceptions and thus, the sound of a word could hint at its meaning. This article addresses how the idea fits into theories on language and its origins.

]]> Have we been overlooking sound symbolism? Recent studies have shown that humans connect certain sounds with sensory perceptions and thus, the sound of a word could hint at its meaning. This article addresses how the idea fits into theories on language and its origins.

“These cross-sensory connections may even open a window onto the first words ever uttered by our ancestors, giving us a glimpse of the earliest language and how it emerged.”

You can even try the theory out for yourself with an interactive test to identify the meanings of foreign words based on their sound.

(Via Maud Newton)

Related Posts:

]]> http://therumpus.net/2011/07/does-my-word-sound-big/feed/ 0