Sound Symbolism in Text and Visual Arts - Pier Pischedda

This project represents a key continuation of the research I have conducted over the last decade through my PhD thesis, as well as my subsequent publications. It explores the historical, linguistic and cultural significance of sound symbolism, onomatopoeia in particular, a key linguistic device that traces its evolution across different periods in human history. 'Sound symbolism' refers to the branch of linguistics that studies the link between linguistic sounds and their meaning, particularly in situations where the relationship between the two is non-arbitrary (i.e. the word sounds like what it means - 'meow' for a cat, 'boom' for an explosion). While I originally focused on the role of onomatopoeia in children's media, this project has a more all-encompassing nature - an expansion that aligns with and feeds into my existing and future teaching in the department, particularly in the areas of multilingualism, historical linguistics and language contact. Data for the book will be gathered through various national and international archival visits.

The primary output of this project will be a monograph published by Bloomsbury offering an interdisciplinary exploration of sound symbolism. No comprehensive study has examined its role across different historical contexts, thus this book aims to fill this specific research gap. The book provides a diachronic and interdisciplinary analysis of onomatopoeia, offering new theoretical insights into language evolution, also through a writing style that is accessible to both academics and general readers. The first part of the book explores the historical foundations of sound symbolism, covering early religious, philosophical, artistic and literary debates on the device, across different eras. The second part instead examines its role in contemporary media, including comic books, propaganda, experimental poetry, digital culture and video games.

This project makes a significant academic contribution by advancing research in historical linguistics and multimodal communication. It will also assist in updating existing modules we offer in linguistics across various sub-disciplines. Additionally, the results will benefit projects and media industries that deal with the sound-based elements of language.