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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Sound-symbolic association between speech sound and spatial meaning in relation to the concepts of up/down and above/below
Contributor:
Vainio, Lari;
Wikström, Alexandra;
Repetto, Claudia;
Vainio, Martti
imprint:
Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2023
Published in:Language and Cognition
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1017/langcog.2023.31
ISSN:
1866-9808;
1866-9859
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Research has shown sound-symbolic associations between speech sounds and conceptual and/or perceptual properties of a referent. This study used the choice response time method to investigate hypothesized associations between a high/low vowel and spatial concepts of <jats:italic>up/down</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>above/below.</jats:italic> The participants were presented with a stimulus that moved either upward or downward (Experiments 1 and 2), or that was located above or below the reference stimulus (Experiment 3), and they had to pronounce a vowel ([i] or [æ]) based on the spatial location of the stimulus. The study showed that the high vowel [i] was produced faster in relation to the up-directed and the above-positioned stimulus, while the low vowel [æ] was produced faster in relation to the down-directed and the below-positioned stimulus. In addition, the study replicated the pitch-elevation effect showing a raising of the vocalization pitch when vocalizations were produced to the up-directed stimulus. The article discusses these effects in terms of the involvement of sensorimotor processes in representing spatial concepts.</jats:p>