Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicity
Whether meaning is arbitrary or motivated remains a matter of unsettled linguistic debate. The main purpose of this discussion is to bring to linguistic attention the level of motivation in EkeGusii, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family spoken in Kenya, using onomatopoeic infinitives and nouns...
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2020-06-01
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doaj-80a0f102d51e41fe8954c3f2641156272020-11-25T03:22:01ZengThe Learned PressMacrolinguistics1934-57551934-57552020-06-01812365410.26478/ja2020.8.12.3Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicityElijah Omwansa Mariera0Kisii University, KenyaWhether meaning is arbitrary or motivated remains a matter of unsettled linguistic debate. The main purpose of this discussion is to bring to linguistic attention the level of motivation in EkeGusii, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family spoken in Kenya, using onomatopoeic infinitives and nouns, and to attest that meaning is considerably iconic. It does not look convenient to classify onomatopes under ideophones. Imagic iconicity plays a central role in the two word classes, though imagic and relative iconicity intersect in cacophonous, reduplicative, and inherently onomatopoeic nouns. In EkeGusii, onomatopes are either explicit or implicit. It becomes clear that onomatopoeia acquires a metaphorical function in certain idiomatic expressions in EkeGusii.http://www.macrolinguistics.com/index.php?c=msg&id=854&explicit and implicit onomatopoeiaparrot rolereflexive onomatopescacophony |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Elijah Omwansa Mariera |
spellingShingle |
Elijah Omwansa Mariera Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicity Macrolinguistics explicit and implicit onomatopoeia parrot role reflexive onomatopes cacophony |
author_facet |
Elijah Omwansa Mariera |
author_sort |
Elijah Omwansa Mariera |
title |
Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicity |
title_short |
Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicity |
title_full |
Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicity |
title_fullStr |
Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicity |
title_full_unstemmed |
Onomatopoeic Infinitives and Nouns in EkeGusii: Evidence for imagic and relative iconicity |
title_sort |
onomatopoeic infinitives and nouns in ekegusii: evidence for imagic and relative iconicity |
publisher |
The Learned Press |
series |
Macrolinguistics |
issn |
1934-5755 1934-5755 |
publishDate |
2020-06-01 |
description |
Whether meaning is arbitrary or motivated remains a matter of unsettled linguistic debate. The main purpose of this discussion is to bring to linguistic attention the level of motivation in EkeGusii, a Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family spoken in Kenya, using onomatopoeic infinitives and nouns, and to attest that meaning is considerably iconic. It does not look convenient to classify onomatopes under ideophones. Imagic iconicity plays a central role in the two word classes, though imagic and relative iconicity intersect in cacophonous, reduplicative, and inherently onomatopoeic nouns. In EkeGusii, onomatopes are either explicit or implicit. It becomes clear that onomatopoeia acquires a metaphorical function in certain idiomatic expressions in EkeGusii. |
topic |
explicit and implicit onomatopoeia parrot role reflexive onomatopes cacophony |
url |
http://www.macrolinguistics.com/index.php?c=msg&id=854& |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT elijahomwansamariera onomatopoeicinfinitivesandnounsinekegusiievidenceforimagicandrelativeiconicity |
_version_ |
1724611772789293056 |