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In:Ideophones, Mimetics and Expressives
Edited by Kimi Akita and Prashant Pardeshi
[Iconicity in Language and Literature 16] 2019
► pp. 57–76

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Chapter 3
Monosyllabic and disyllabic roots in the diachronic development of Japanese mimetics

 | The George Washington University
Published online: 6 May 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ill.16.04ham
It has been demonstrated that the distinction between monosyllabic and disyllabic roots is critical in synchronic analyses of Japanese sound-symbolic vocabulary (also known as mimetics). This chapter demonstrates the relevance of this distinction for the diachronic development of Japanese mimetic words. Specifically, the chapter traces the development of the syllable-final nasal /N/ and the voiceless fricative /h/ and argues that these elements existed in monosyllabic mimetic roots before they appeared with disyllabic mimetic roots. The chapter suggests that this dichotomy may have implications for broader issues of language evolution.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Synchronic contrasts between monosyllabic and disyllabic mimetic roots
    • 2.1Sound symbolism
    • 2.2Phonotactics
  • 3.Diachronic changes in monosyllabic and disyllabic mimetic roots
    • 3.1Syllable-final nasal /N/
      • 3.1.1Semantic characteristics of /N/
      • 3.1.2Diachronic development of /N/
    • 3.2Development of /h/ in monosyllabic and disyllabic mimetic roots
      • 3.2.1Standard view on the development of /h/
      • 3.2.2Differences between monosyllabic and disyllabic mimetic roots regarding /h/
  • 4.Implications for cross-linguistic discussions of mimetics
  • Notes
  • References
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