The Oxford Handbook of Iconicity in Language.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fischer, Olga.

Contributor:

Fischer, Olga

Akita, Kimi

Perniss, Pamela

Series:

Oxford Handbooks Series

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1097 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2026.

Summary:

This volume offers a comprehensive guide to the role that iconicity - resemblance between form and meaning - plays in all modes of languages, on all levels of language, and in all aspects of language. It brings together research exploring a wide range of topics in iconicity from a variety of perspectives.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Series

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Table of Contents

FIGURES

ABBREVIATIONS

The CONTRIBUTORS

CHAPTER 1 Introduction: Iconicity as a General Principle Underlying Language and Language Behavior

1.1 Iconicity and Play

1.2 Iconicity in Language

1.3 Iconicity and Analogy

1.4 Broad Spectrum of Iconicity

Acknowledgments

PART I Foundational Issues in Iconicity

CHAPTER 2 Iconicity in Classical Philosophy: A Legacy of Prehistoric Orality?

2.1 From Oral Poetry to Philosophy

2.2 Plato's Theories of Diagrammatic and Imagic Iconicity

2.3 Aristotle's Arbitrariness of Sounds and Iconicity of Meanings

2.4 Epicurus' Relativistic and Naturalistic Theory of Language Origin

2.5 Nigidius' Magic Theory of Indexical Iconicity

2.6 St. Augustine's Farewell to Stoic Iconicity

2.7 Recapitulation

CHAPTER 3 Peirce On Icons and Iconicity

3.1 Peirce, Semiotics, and Iconicity

3.2 The Sign, Its Object, and Its Interpretant

3.3 The Icon Or Iconic Sign as Peirce Defines It

3.4 Overlaps, Predominance, Inclusion, and Combinations

3.5 Three Classes of Icons: Images, Diagrams, and Metaphors

3.6 Icons in the Interpretant

3.7 The Relevance of Peirce's Three Phenomenological Categories to His Theory of Iconicity

CHAPTER 4 Saussure and Iconicity: The Ghost in the Machine?

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Relative Motivation

4.3 Synesthesia

4.4 Form-meaning Parallelism

4.5 The Ghost in the Machine

4.6 Conclusion

CHAPTER 5 Analogy and Iconicity

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Iconicity, Metaphor, and Analogy

5.3 Formal, Semantic, and Distributional Analogy

5.4 The Scope of Analogy: From Error to Rule?

5.5 Criticism and Responses

5.6 Concluding Remarks

CHAPTER 6 Iconicity in Language Typology

6.1 Introduction.

6.2 Iconicity and the Structure of Linear Sequences

6.3 Iconicity and Syntactic Dependence

6.4 Iconicity and Structural Complexity

6.5 Iconicity and Structural Similarity

6.6 The Emergence of Typological Universals: Iconicity and Alternative Functional Principles

6.7 The Diachronic Emergence of Overt and Zero Marking

6.8 The Diachronic Emergence of Multifunctionality

6.9 Concluding Remarks

CHAPTER 7 The Explanatory Power of Iconicity in Language

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Phonological Iconicity: The Empirical Revolution

7.3 Iconicity as a Circular Explanatory Concept in Grammar

7.4 The Frequency Account

7.5 Iconicity as a Semiotic Conundrum

7.6 Linguistic Iconicity as Extra Meaning

7.7 Concluding Remarks

CHAPTER 8 Frequency, Variation, and Iconicity

8.1 The Role of Iconicity: From Marginal to Pervasive

8.2 Frequency and Variation

8.2.1 Frequency and Polysemy

8.2.2 Frequency and Formal Variation

8.2.2.1 Frequency and Allophony

8.2.2.2 Frequency and Allography

8.2.2.3 Frequency and Allomorphy

8.2.2.4 Frequency and Allolexy

8.2.2.5 Frequency and Allostructure

8.3 Bringing Iconicity Into the Picture

8.4 The (non-Iconic) Link Between Polysemy and AlloXy

8.5 Conclusion

PART II Iconicity in Linguistic Theorizing

CHAPTER 9 Iconicity and Generative Grammar

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Architecture of a Generative Grammar

9.3 Three Problems for Iconicity in Generative Grammar

9.3.1 First Problem: the Locus of Iconicity

9.3.2 Second Problem: the Relation Between Iconicity and Correspondence

9.3.3 Third Problem: Syntactic Complexity and Iconicity

9.4 A Note On Non-Transformational Grammar

9.5 Conclusions and Further Challenges

CHAPTER 10 Iconicity in Cognitive and Functional Linguistics

10.1 Introduction.

10.2 Status Quo Ante

10.3 Similarity

10.4 Categories and Categorization

10.5 Subjectification

10.6 Grammar Is Symbolic

10.7 Metonymy and Idealized Cognitive Models

10.8 Image Schemas, Metaphors, and Mental Spaces

10.9 Diachrony in Synchrony: Grammaticalization

10.10 Universality Versus Specificity

10.11 A Word of Warning

10.12 Conclusion

CHAPTER 11 Defining Iconicity for the Cognitive Sciences

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Defining Iconicity

11.2.1 "A Signal in Any Modality Or Medium"

11.2.2 "Production And/or Interpretation"

11.2.3 "A Sense of Resemblance"

11.2.4 "At Least Some Aspect of Its Form and at Least Some Aspect of Its Meaning"

11.2.5 "Exhibits Iconicity"

11.2.6 Summary

11.3 Clarifying Concepts Related to Iconicity

11.3.1 Systematicity

11.3.2 Indexicality

11.4 Conclusion

CHAPTER 12 Embodied Mind

12.1 Introduction: The Somatic Turn

12.2 A Phenomenological Recovery of the Living Body

12.3 Iconic Substratum of Language

12.4 The Roots of Language Are Deeper Than Language

12.5 Apparently Rival Versions of Embodied Mind

12.6 Qualities, Actualities, and Meanings

12.7 Mind, Consciousness, and the Unconscious

12.8 Programmatic Suggestions for the Immediate Future

12.9 The Human Mind, Iconific No Less Than Symbolific

12.10 Conclusion: The Task Ahead

PART III (Morpho)phonology

CHAPTER 13 Iconic Prosody and Its Connection to Iconic Gesture

13.1 Introduction and Examples of Iconic Prosody in Action

13.2 Defining Iconic Prosody

13.3 Evolutionary Roots of Iconic Prosody

13.4 Investigating Iconic Prosody in the Psycholinguistics Laboratory

13.5 Studying Iconic Prosody in the Wild

13.6 Conclusion

CHAPTER 14 Experimental Approaches to Sound Symbolism

14.1 Defining Sound Symbolism

14.2 Examples of Sound Symbolism.

14.3 Explicit Choice Tasks

14.4 Implicit Tasks

14.5 Learning and Memory Studies

14.6 Infant Sound Symbolism

14.7 Cross-Cultural Studies

14.8 Atypical Populations

14.9 Mechanistic Studies

14.9.1 Insight Into the Phonetic Properties Fundamental for Sound Symbolism

14.9.2 Exploring Modalities Beyond Acoustics

14.9.3 Exploring Higher-Order Factors

14.10 Studies With Existing Words

14.11 Conclusion

CHAPTER 15 Cross-Linguistic Vocal Iconicity

15.1 Cross-Linguistic Vocal Iconicity: An Overview

15.2 How Cross-Linguistic Vocal Iconicity Is Investigated

15.2.1 Concept Sampling

15.2.2 Language Sampling

15.2.3 Quantification

15.3 Types of Iconicity in Cross-Linguistic Vocal Iconicity Studies

15.4 Benefits of Cross-Linguistic Vocal Iconicity Studies

15.5 Limitations of Cross-Linguistic Vocal Iconicity Studies

15.6 Future Directions for Cross-Linguistic Vocal Iconicity Studies

CHAPTER 16 The Segmentals and Suprasegmentals of Ideophones

16.1 Introduction: What Is an Ideophone?

16.2 Phonemes

16.3 Phonotactics

16.3.1 Phonetic Environment and Sound Distribution

16.4 Prosody

16.4.1 Syllable Structure

16.4.2 Accentuation

16.4.3 Pitch and Intonation

16.4.4 Tone

16.4.5 Phonation

16.4.6 Other Prosodic Characteristics: Loudness, Duration, Speech Rate, and Pauses

16.5 Sound Modification

16.5.1 Palatalization

16.5.2 Affrication

16.5.3 (Un)voicing

16.5.4 Nasalization

16.5.5 Aspiration

16.5.6 Sound Alternations

16.6 (Morpho)phonological Processes

16.6.1 Reduplication

16.6.1.1 Types of Reduplication

16.6.2 Expressive Affixation

16.7 Phonesthemes

16.8 Conclusions

CHAPTER 17 Iconicity in Formational Properties of Signs in Sign Languages

17.1 Introduction

17.2 Historical Background.

17.3 Lexical Versus Sublexical Iconicity

17.4 Theoretical Debate

17.5 Iconicity in Individual Sublexical Parameters

17.5.1 Location

17.5.2 Movement

17.5.3 Handshape

17.5.4 Number of Hands

17.6 Discussion and Conclusion

PART IV Iconicity in Writing Systems

CHAPTER 18 Phonographic Writing Systems

18.1 Introduction

18.2 Imagic Iconicity and Pictography

18.3 Diagrammatic Iconicity

18.4 Metaphoric Iconicity

18.5 The Genesis and Development of Iconicity in Writing

18.6 Conclusion

CHAPTER 19 Logographic Writing Systems and Chinese Characters

19.1 Introduction

19.2 From Imagic to More Complex Imagic Iconicity

19.3 From Imagic to Diagrammatic Iconicity

19.3.1 Structural Diagram

19.3.1.1 Structural Diagram: the Iconic Principle of Quantity

19.3.1.2 Structural Diagram: the Principle of Iconic Sequencing, Orientation, and Relative Position

19.3.2 Semantic Diagram: Metaphor

19.3.2.1 Metaphoric Extension of Iconic Forms

19.3.2.2 Time as Space

19.3.2.3 Relational Analogy

19.3.3 Phonetic Diagram: Rebus Characters

19.4 Iconicity Lost

19.5 Controversial Iconicity

19.6 Some Concluding Remarks

CHAPTER 20 Notational Iconicity

20.1 Introduction: What Writing and Iconicity Share

20.2 The 'Phonographic Dogma' and Its Erosion

20.3 Alphanumerics: The Fusion of Letters and Numbers

20.4 An Incidental Remark On 'Iconicity'

20.5 Attributes of Notational Iconicity

20.5.1 Spatiality

20.5.1.1 Artificial Flatness

20.5.1.2 Arrangement and Directionality

20.5.1.3 Inter-Spatiality

20.5.2 Graphism

20.5.3 Operativity

20.5.4 Mechanizability

20.5.4.1 Disjunctivity

20.5.4.2 Meaning Indifference

20.5.4.3 Digital Writing

20.6 'Notational Iconicity' as a Strategic Concept.

20.7 Closing With a Work of Art: How to Interpret Axel Malik's Work as a Possible Comment On Notational Iconicity.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-194460-2

0-19-266609-6

9780192666093

OCLC:

1564084646