Synaesthesia in Chinese

A corpus-based study on gustatory adjectives in Mandarin

Bibliographic Data

ID3988655
AuthorsQingqing Zhao (0000-0002-2324-9103, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, corresponding author), Chu-Ren Huang (0000-0002-8526-5520, Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Yunfei Long (0000-0002-2024-0218, Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Year2018
Volume56
Issue5
Pages1167-1194
Publication date2018-08-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLinguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0024-3949 • E-ISSN: 1613-396X
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/ling-2018-0019
OpenAlexW2886626138
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited22

This study adopted a corpus-based approach to examine the synaesthetic metaphors of gustatory adjectives in Mandarin. Based on the distribution of synaesthetic uses in the corpus, we found that: (1) the synaesthetic metaphors of Mandarin gustatory adjectives exhibited directionality; (2) the directionality of Mandarin synaesthetic gustatory adjectives showed both commonality and specificity when compared with the attested directionality of gustatory adjectives in English, which calls for a closer re-examination of the claim of cross-lingual universality of synaesthetic tendencies; and (3) the distribution and directionality of Mandarin synaesthetic gustatory adjectives could not be predicted by a single hypothesis, such as the embodiment-driven approach or the biological association-driven approach. Thus, linguistic synaesthesia was constrained by both the embodiment principle and the biological association mechanism

Cognitive psychology · Directionality · Linguistics · Mandarin Chinese · Taste · Categorization, perception, and language · Communication · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Multisensory perception and integration · Neuroscience · Philosophy · Psychology