Iconicity in Language 3003-IKJ-OG

The lecture relates to questions about the essence of language, namely the extent to which linguistic signs are arbitrary (conventional) and to which they are motivated. We will discuss different phenomena that undermine or restrict the thesis of the arbitrary nature of signs, including sound symbolism, diagrammatic iconicity, phonestesia. Particular attention will be paid to onomatopoeias and phenomena on the borderline of language and literature, such as ideographic works and sound instrumentation. We will look at the trade names and idioms motivated by the gesture. We will discuss psychological experiments on sound symbolism, we will compare the spectrograms of animal voices and words imitating them. Participants will have the opportunity to look at language differently than usually and familiarize with the phenomena that are often marginalized or even eliminated as unscientific in the textbooks of linguistics.

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

It may be useful to finish the basic course of language studies or semiotics. Listeners with another profile of education, e.g. psychological, will also be welcome, as the lecture is of interdisciplinary character.

Learning outcomes

Having finished the course a student:
– can see numerous and various examples of iconicity,
– analyzes sign transfers, paying attention to the interaction of iconic and arbitrary elements,
– explains the causes of iconic signs and their advantages,
– uses iconic signs in practice, e.g. while creating slogans, playing with children, vocally interpreting poetic works.

Assessment criteria

Homework: questionnaire interview among a small number of people and developing results

Bibliography

Bańko M., Dlaczego wow? (w:) Reverendissimae Halinae Satkiewicz cum Magna Aestimatione, red. G. Dąbkowski. Warszawa: Plejada, 2008, s. 9–21.
Bańko M., Dlaczego torreador? (w:) Błąd językowy w perspektywie komunikacyjnej, red. M. Kita. Katowice: Wyższa Szkoła Zarządzania Marketingowego i Jezyków Obcych, 2008, s. 297–309.
Bańko M., Opozycja samogłosek przednich i tylnych a znaczenie polskich onomatopei. „LingVaria”, 2008, z. 2 (6), s. 61–77.
Bańko M., Should the computer mouse click differently in Polish? (w:) Die Europäizität der Slawia oder die Slawizität Europas. Ein Beitrag der kultur- und sprachrelativistischen Linguistik, red. Ch. Voss, A. Nagórko. München – Berlin: Verlag Otto Sagner, 2009, s. 177–185.
Bańko M., Współczesny polski onomatopeikon. Ikoniczność w języku. Warszawa: PWN, 2008.
Boniecka B., Funkcje składniowe wyrazów onomatopeicznych, „Polonica” 1977, s. 27–45.
Cieślikowski J., Literatura i podkultura dziecięca. Wrocław: Ossolineum, 1974, s. 213–223.
Cieślikowski J., Najbardziej popularny wiersz Tuwima (w:) J. Cieślikowski, Literatura osobna, wybór R. Waksmund. Warszawa: Nasza Księgarnia, 1985, s. 122–128.
Dionizjusz, O zestawianiu wyrazów (w:) Trzy stylistyki greckie. Arystoteles, Demetriusz, Dionizjusz, przeł. i oprac. W. Matyda. Wrocław: Ossolineum, 2006, s. 206–219.
Fónagy I., Język poetycki – forma i funkcja. „Pamiętnik Literacki”, 1972, z. 2, s. 217–257.
Jakobson R., W poszukiwaniu istoty języka (w:) R. Jakobson, W poszukiwaniu istoty języka, t. 1. Warszawa: PIW, 1989, s. 115–134.
Jakobson R., Waugh L., Magia dźwięków mowy (w:) R. Jakobson, W poszukiwaniu istoty języka, t. 1. Warszawa: PIW, 1989, s. 282–340.
Milewski T., Językoznawstwo, 1965 lub wyd. późn. Warszawa: PWN, s. 117–119.
Platon, Kratylos (dowolne wydanie, fragmenty).
Pszczołowska L., Instrumentacja dźwiękowa. Wrocław: Ossolineum, 1977 (fragmenty).
Tuwim J., Pegaz dęba. Czytelnik [b.m.], 1950, s. 237–247, 326–327, 350–368.

Additional literature:
Allot R., Sound symbolism. http://www.percepp.demon.co.uk/soundsmb.htm
The Encyclopaedia of Language and Linguistics, ed. R. E. Asher. Oxford, New York, Seoul, Tokyo: Pergamon Press, 1994, hasło „sound symbolism” [jest w BUW-ie].
International Encyclopaedia of Linguistics, ed. w Bright. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992, hasło: „sound symbolism” [jest w BUW-ie].
Magnus M., What’s in a Word? Studies in Phonosemantics, www.trismegistos.com/dissertation, s. 1-53.
Ohala J., Sound symbolism. http://trill.berkeley.edu/users/ohala/papers [wybrać plik o nazwie SEOUL4-symbolism.pdf]

In addition:
– poems for children
– Elementarz by M. Falski
– comics
– bird atlases eyc.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes: