Iconicity
Encyclopedia
In functional-cognitive linguistics
, as well as in semiotics
, iconicity is the conceived similarity
or analogy
between the form of a sign
(linguistic or otherwise) and its meaning
, as opposed to arbitrariness.
Iconic principles:
to iconically mark increase, as Sapir
is often quoted, “The process is generally employed, with self-evident symbolism, to indicate such concepts as distribution, plurality, repetition, customary activity, increase of size, added intensity, continuance” (1921:79). This has been confirmed by the comparative studies of Key (1965) and Moravcsik (1978). This can be seen, for example, in Amharic: täsäbbärä 'it was broken' and täsäbbabärä 'it was shattered'.
Iconic coding principles may be natural
tendencies in language and are also part of our cognitive
and biological
make-up. The question whether iconicity is indeed a true part of language has always been debated in linguistics. Recently, for instance, Haspelmath has argued against iconicity, claiming that most iconic phenomena can be explained by frequency biases: since simpler meanings tend to be more frequent in the language use they tend to lose phonological material.
Onomatopoeia may be seen as a kind of iconicity, though even onomatopoeic sounds have a large degree of arbitrariness.
. Proposed ways in which iconicity is achieved is through Hands that Act, Embody, Model, and Draw. In sign languages iconicity was often argued to be largely confined to sign formation. After longer usage the iconicity would no longer play an actual role in perception and production as the sign becomes part of the conventionalized vocabulary (comparable to onomatopeia). More recently, as sign language researchers gain confidence (and the fear of losing linguistic status subsides), iconicity is allowed to play a more central role again. Current sign language phonology acknowledges that certain aspects are semantically motivated. An important way in which iconicity plays an active role is in the modulation of signs, where the meaning of a sign is elaborated or altered by changing aspects of it. The ability to work creatively with sign language in this way has been associated with accomplished, or native signers.
, "iconicity might be the reason for refraining from translating Hallelujah and Amen in so many languages, as if the sounds of such basic religious notions have to do with their referents themselves – as if by losing the sound, one might lose the meaning. Compare this to the cabbalistic power of letters, for example in the case of gematria
, the method of interpreting the Hebrew Scriptures by interchanging words whose letters have the same numerical value when added. A simple example of gematric
power might be the famous proverb נכנס יין יצא סוד nikhnas yayin yåSå sōd, lit. ‘entered wine went out secret’, i.e. ‘wine brings out the truth’, in vino veritas. The gematric value of יין ‘wine’ is 70 (י=10; י=10; ן=50) and this is also the gematric value of סוד ‘secret’ (ס=60; ו=6; ד=4). Thus, this sentence, according to many Jews at the time, had to be true."
. "Consider Lithuanian Ashkenazic Hebrew רע דם ra dom (cf. Yiddish ra dam), lit. ‘of bad blood’ (from Hebrew רע דם ra` dam ‘of bad blood’). This is a toponymic rejective phono-semantic matching
of Polish
Radom
, the name of a town in Poland (approximately 100 km south of Warsaw
), or of its Yiddish adaptation ródem (see Uriel Weinreich
1955: 609, Paul Wexler 1991: 42). Thus, if a pogrom had occurred in Radom, it would surely have been rationalized by ra dam ‘of bad blood’. Obviously, providing such an etymythological explanation for the pogrom was regarded by some Jews as a mere play on words. However, others might have conceived of ra dam as having deep intrinsic truth, which might have been religiously and homiletically based. One should not forget that at that time it was a common belief that all languages were God-created and that Hebrew was the divine Ursprache."
Cognitive linguistics
In linguistics, cognitive linguistics refers to the branch of linguistics that interprets language in terms of the concepts, sometimes universal, sometimes specific to a particular tongue, which underlie its forms...
, as well as in semiotics
Semiotics
Semiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes , indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication...
, iconicity is the conceived similarity
Similarity
-Specific definitions:Different fields provide differing definitions of similarity:-In computer science:* string metric, aka string similarity* semantic similarity in computational linguistics-In other fields:...
or analogy
Analogy
Analogy is a cognitive process of transferring information or meaning from a particular subject to another particular subject , and a linguistic expression corresponding to such a process...
between the form of a sign
Sign (semiotics)
A sign is understood as a discrete unit of meaning in semiotics. It is defined as "something that stands for something, to someone in some capacity" It includes words, images, gestures, scents, tastes, textures, sounds – essentially all of the ways in which information can be...
(linguistic or otherwise) and its meaning
Meaning (linguistics)
In linguistics, meaning is what is expressed by the writer or speaker, and what is conveyed to the reader or listener, provided that they talk about the same thing . In other words if the object and the name of the object and the concepts in their head are the same...
, as opposed to arbitrariness.
Iconic principles:
- Quantity principle: conceptual complexity corresponds to formal complexity
- Proximity principle: conceptual distance tends to match with linguistic distance
- Sequential order principle: the sequential order of events described is mirrored in the speech chain
Quantity principle
The use of quantity of phonetic material to iconically mark increased quality or quantity can be noted in the lengthening of words to indicate a greater degree, such as "looong". It is also common to use reduplicationReduplication
Reduplication in linguistics is a morphological process in which the root or stem of a word is repeated exactly or with a slight change....
to iconically mark increase, as Sapir
Edward Sapir
Edward Sapir was an American anthropologist-linguist, widely considered to be one of the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of linguistics....
is often quoted, “The process is generally employed, with self-evident symbolism, to indicate such concepts as distribution, plurality, repetition, customary activity, increase of size, added intensity, continuance” (1921:79). This has been confirmed by the comparative studies of Key (1965) and Moravcsik (1978). This can be seen, for example, in Amharic: täsäbbärä 'it was broken' and täsäbbabärä 'it was shattered'.
Iconic coding principles may be natural
Natural
Natural is an adjective that refers to Nature.Natural may refer too:In science and mathematics:* Natural transformation, category theory in mathematics* Natural foods...
tendencies in language and are also part of our cognitive
Cognition
In science, cognition refers to mental processes. These processes include attention, remembering, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions. Cognition is studied in various disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science...
and biological
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
make-up. The question whether iconicity is indeed a true part of language has always been debated in linguistics. Recently, for instance, Haspelmath has argued against iconicity, claiming that most iconic phenomena can be explained by frequency biases: since simpler meanings tend to be more frequent in the language use they tend to lose phonological material.
Onomatopoeia may be seen as a kind of iconicity, though even onomatopoeic sounds have a large degree of arbitrariness.
Iconicity and gesture
Iconicity is often argued to play a large role in the production and perception of gestureGesture
A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body...
. Proposed ways in which iconicity is achieved is through Hands that Act, Embody, Model, and Draw. In sign languages iconicity was often argued to be largely confined to sign formation. After longer usage the iconicity would no longer play an actual role in perception and production as the sign becomes part of the conventionalized vocabulary (comparable to onomatopeia). More recently, as sign language researchers gain confidence (and the fear of losing linguistic status subsides), iconicity is allowed to play a more central role again. Current sign language phonology acknowledges that certain aspects are semantically motivated. An important way in which iconicity plays an active role is in the modulation of signs, where the meaning of a sign is elaborated or altered by changing aspects of it. The ability to work creatively with sign language in this way has been associated with accomplished, or native signers.
Iconicity and religion
According to Ghil'ad ZuckermannGhil'ad Zuckermann
Ghil'ad Zuckermann is an Israeli-Italian-British-Australian linguist, expert of language revival, contact linguistics, lexicology and the study of language, culture and identity...
, "iconicity might be the reason for refraining from translating Hallelujah and Amen in so many languages, as if the sounds of such basic religious notions have to do with their referents themselves – as if by losing the sound, one might lose the meaning. Compare this to the cabbalistic power of letters, for example in the case of gematria
Gematria
Gematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
, the method of interpreting the Hebrew Scriptures by interchanging words whose letters have the same numerical value when added. A simple example of gematric
Gematria
Gematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
power might be the famous proverb נכנס יין יצא סוד nikhnas yayin yåSå sōd, lit. ‘entered wine went out secret’, i.e. ‘wine brings out the truth’, in vino veritas. The gematric value of יין ‘wine’ is 70 (י=10; י=10; ן=50) and this is also the gematric value of סוד ‘secret’ (ס=60; ו=6; ד=4). Thus, this sentence, according to many Jews at the time, had to be true."
Iconicity and folk etymology
Iconicity occurs in rejective phono-semantic matchingPhono-semantic matching
Phono-semantic matching is a linguistic term referring to camouflaged borrowing in which a foreign word is matched with a phonetically and semantically similar pre-existent native word/root....
. "Consider Lithuanian Ashkenazic Hebrew רע דם ra dom (cf. Yiddish ra dam), lit. ‘of bad blood’ (from Hebrew רע דם ra` dam ‘of bad blood’). This is a toponymic rejective phono-semantic matching
Phono-semantic matching
Phono-semantic matching is a linguistic term referring to camouflaged borrowing in which a foreign word is matched with a phonetically and semantically similar pre-existent native word/root....
of Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
Radom
Radom
Radom is a city in central Poland with 223,397 inhabitants . It is located on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship , having previously been the capital of Radom Voivodeship ; 100 km south of Poland's capital, Warsaw.It is home to the biennial Radom Air Show, the largest and...
, the name of a town in Poland (approximately 100 km south of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), or of its Yiddish adaptation ródem (see Uriel Weinreich
Uriel Weinreich
Uriel Weinreich was a linguist at Columbia University. Born in Vilnius , he earned his Ph.D. from Columbia, and went on to teach there, specializing in Yiddish studies, sociolinguistics, and dialectology...
1955: 609, Paul Wexler 1991: 42). Thus, if a pogrom had occurred in Radom, it would surely have been rationalized by ra dam ‘of bad blood’. Obviously, providing such an etymythological explanation for the pogrom was regarded by some Jews as a mere play on words. However, others might have conceived of ra dam as having deep intrinsic truth, which might have been religiously and homiletically based. One should not forget that at that time it was a common belief that all languages were God-created and that Hebrew was the divine Ursprache."
See also
- SemeioticSemeioticSemeiotic is a spelling variant of a word used by Charles Sanders Peirce, likewise as "Semiotic," "Semiotics", and "Semeotic", to refer to his philosophical logic, which he cast as the study of signs, or semiotic. Some, not all, Peircean scholars have used "semeiotic" to refer to distinctly...
- SemioticsSemioticsSemiotics, also called semiotic studies or semiology, is the study of signs and sign processes , indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication...
- Semiotic elements and classes of signs (Peirce)Semiotic elements and classes of signs (Peirce)Logician, mathematician, philosopher, and scientist Charles Sanders Peirce began writing on semeiotic, semiotics, or the theory of sign relations in the 1860s, around the time that he devised his system of three categories...
- SignSign (semiotics)A sign is understood as a discrete unit of meaning in semiotics. It is defined as "something that stands for something, to someone in some capacity" It includes words, images, gestures, scents, tastes, textures, sounds – essentially all of the ways in which information can be...
- Sign relationSign relationA sign relation is the basic construct in the theory of signs, also known as semeiotic or semiotics, as developed by Charles Sanders Peirce.-Anthesis:...
- Triadic relationTrichotomy (philosophy)A trichotomy is a three-way classificatory division. Some philosophers pursued trichotomies.Important trichotomies discussed by Aquinas include the causal principles , the potencies for the intellect , and the acts of the intellect ,with all of those rooted in Aristotle; also...
- Charles Sanders Peirce
- Phono-semantic matchingPhono-semantic matchingPhono-semantic matching is a linguistic term referring to camouflaged borrowing in which a foreign word is matched with a phonetically and semantically similar pre-existent native word/root....
- GematriaGematriaGematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
- Folk etymology