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In:Dimensions of Iconicity
Edited by Angelika Zirker, Matthias Bauer, Olga Fischer and Christina Ljungberg
[Iconicity in Language and Literature 15] 2017
► pp. 263–286

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Iconization of sociolinguistic variables

The case of archetypal female characters in classic Hollywood cinema

 | Stanford University
Published online: 8 September 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ill.15.15jeo
This study examines the interaction between linguistic variables and other semiotic resources in the visual media. It argues that many of the suprasegmental variables in classic Hollywood cinema iconically and sound-symbolically represent the major archetypes of the era, namely, the femme fatale, the dumb blonde, and the screwball heroine. It also argues that other visual, cinematic devices worked to actively develop and fortify this iconic relation. Due to this iconization process, the underlying ideologies behind the linguistic variables were more easily naturalized, enabling their wider dissemination. The evidence for this argument comes from acoustic and statistical analyses of pitch and voice quality variables produced by actresses portraying the three archetypes. The quantitative approach combined with additional qualitative analyses of relevant pitch contours and film scenes show the systematic difference between the archetypes in the usage of these variables, and demonstrate the iconic link between linguistic variables, archetypes, and film imagery.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Iconicity and iconization
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1Selection of films and actresses
    • 3.2Selection and analysis of the data
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Inter-speaker variation: Pitch
    • 4.2Intra-speaker variation: Pitch
    • 4.3Variation in voice quality
    • 4.4The distinctive packaging of suprasegmental variables
  • 5.Iconization and archetypes
    • 5.1Iconization and femmes fatales
    • 5.2Iconicity and dumb blondes
    • 5.3Iconicity and screwball heroines
  • 6.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
  • Appendix
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