Linguistics ETDs

Publication Date

Fall 11-15-2023

Abstract

In everyday communication, speakers go beyond words to synchronize speech sounds and gestures, adding nuanced meanings. For instance, in Colombian Spanish, recounting the distant past involves elongating words, modulating pitch, and using expressive hand movements. This dissertation explores this phenomenon, termed Multimodal Iconic Expressions (MMIEs), using Cognitive Linguistics and Cognitive Grammar. The quantitative study uncovers correlations between verb aspect, nominal quantification, and speech duration, revealing phono-iconic connections. The qualitative study examines construal operations giving rise to MMIEs across semantic domains. MMIEs predominantly appear in discourse Focus, with durative events and mass-like quantities exhibiting pronounced phono-iconic associations. Patterns include stress and beat-like gestures, while more elaborate expressions involve pitch, intensity, duration, and voice-type modulations, elevating iconicity levels. This research advances our understanding of iconicity in language, emphasizing profound conceptual meanings encoded in phonological elements.
This research extends the boundaries of our understanding of iconicity in conceptualization and language use, underscoring the capacity of phonological elements to carry profound conceptual meaning.

Language

English

Keywords

Iconicity, Phonology, Conceptual Meaning, Focus, Multimodality, Cognitive Linguistics

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Linguistics

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Department of Linguistics

First Committee Member (Chair)

Jill Morford

Second Committee Member

Sherman Wilcox

Third Committee Member

Richard File-Muriel

Fourth Committee Member

Naomi Shin

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