Sound symbolic associations in Spanish emotional words

Affective Dimensions and Discrete Emotions

Dados Bibliográficos

ID7149939
AutoresRocío Calvillo-Torres (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, autor correspondente), Juan Haro (0000-0002-3456-4731, Universitat Rovira i Virgili), Pilar Ferré (0000-0002-3192-0040, Universitat Rovira i Virgili), Claudia Poch (0000-0002-9357-4948, Universidad Nebrija), José A Hinojosa (0000-0002-7482-9503, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, autor correspondente)
Ano2025
Volume39
Fascículo7
Páginas1515-1531
Data de publicação2025-10-03
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoCognition & Emotion (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0269-9931 • E-ISSN: 1464-0600
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02699931.2024.2345377
PMID38660751
OpenAlexW4395455136
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas6
Referências citadas89

Sound symbolism refers to non-arbitrary associations between word forms and meaning, such as those observed for some properties of sounds and size or shape. Recent evidence suggests that these connections extend to emotional concepts. Here we investigated two types of non-arbitrary relationships. Study 1 examined whether iconicity scores (i.e. resemblance-based mapping between aspects of a word's form and its meaning) for words can be predicted from ratings in the affective dimensions of valence and arousal and/or the discrete emotions of happiness, anger, fear, disgust and sadness. Words denoting negative concepts were more likely to have more iconic word forms. Study 2 explored whether statistical regularities in single phonemes (i.e. systematicity) predicted ratings in affective dimensions and/or discrete emotions. Voiceless (/p/, /t/) and voiced plosives (/b/, /d/, /g/) were related to high arousing words, whereas high arousing negative words tended to include fricatives (/s/, /z/). Hissing consonants were also more likely to occur in words denoting all negative discrete emotions. Additionally, words conveying certain discrete emotions included specific phonemes. Overall, our data suggest that emotional features might explain variations in iconicity and provide new insight about phonemic patterns showing sound symbolic associations with the affective properties of words

Acoustics · Cognitive psychology · Physics · Categorization, perception, and language · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Multisensory perception and integration · Psychology · Social Psychology