Sound symbolism—systematic associations between sounds and meanings—had not been a topic that was actively explored in the generative tradition. In my recent research, however, I argue that formal phonology can benefit from perspectives and insights offered by research on sound symbolism, and vice versa. In this talk, I illustrate this thesis based on a new research paradigm, dubbed “Pokémonastics” (Kawahara et al. 2018; Shih et al. 2019), in which researchers explore the nature of sound symbolism in human languages using Pokémon names. In this talk, I am going to review (1) how Pokémonastics began, (2) why it is a useful research strategy, (3) what we have found so far, and (4) what more needs to be done.
Prochains événements
Voir la liste d'événementsSRPP The past and present of stop vocalization in Danish
Rasmus Puggaard-Rode(University of Oxford)
SRPP 10/04/2026 Megan Dailey
Megan Dailey (University of Lausanne)
Stefanie Keulen - Seminar 1
Language and the brain: a lifetime perspective.
Stefanie Keulen - Seminar 2
The enigmatic cerebellum: involvement in speech and language.


