LINGUIST List 30.706
Wed Feb 13 2019
Diss: Applied Linguistics; Arabic: Khaled Khader Oraby: ''A Phonosemantic Study of the Phoneme /S/ in Standard Arabic''
Editor for this issue: Sarah Robinson <srobinsonlinguistlist.org>
Date: 04-Feb-2019
From: Khaled Oraby <khaled8118
yahoo.com>
Subject: A Phonosemantic Study of the Phoneme /S/ in Standard Arabic
E-mail this message to a friend Institution: Yarmouk University
Program: Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2003
Author: Khaled Khader Oraby
Dissertation Title: A Phonosemantic Study of the Phoneme /S/ in Standard Arabic
Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics
Dissertation Director:
Dissertation Abstract:
There has been a wide controversy over the relationship between sound and meaning for many years. Many linguists, such as de Saussure (1916), think that the relation between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary. This study attempts to argue for the truth-value of this relationship by testing the Arabic words compiled in Al9ain dictionary that contain the phoneme /S/. Besides, a questionnaire has been conducted prompting informants with nonsense words that contain the phoneme /S/ and asking them to relate these words to their apparently suitable definitions based on their phonosemantic intuitions. Based on that, both existing and nonsense carriers have been classified into four major semantic domains that are assumed to be commonly signified by the words that contain the phoneme /S/:
1. Strength, Intensity or Force.
2. Fracture, Separation or Openness.
3. Height, Straightening or Sleekness.
4. Change, Deviation or Emergence.
The Findings have shown up some points concerning the relationship between sounds and meanings. The most important of which has been that there is an iconic correlation between the words that contain the phoneme /S/ distributed fairly equally to the initial, medial and final positions and the four formerly mentioned semantic domains. Also, these findings point out that this correlation is inherent to the phoneme /S/ since it is iconically mirrored in the articulation. Moreover, it has been found that it is innately encoded in the human’s phonosemantic competence, which is deemed to be an essential part of his/her linguistic competence. Herein, the individual’s demographic background would play no significant role in establishing his/her phonosemantic competence. However, over the days, it is supposed that it would play a role in refreshing such a competence.
The study has come up with some recommendations that may be taken into consideration particularly by Arab linguists.
Page Updated: 13-Feb-2019