Onomatopoeia has not been paid much attention in theoretical linguistics, which may be related to its iconic‐symbolic nature. Moreover, the concept of onomatopoeia and its classification seem to vary in different linguistic traditions. Therefore, a new theoretical conception of onomatopoeia is proposed that makes it possible to examine onomatopoeia from a comparative perspective. This paper pursues the primary objective of clarifying the position of onomatopoeia in the system of language, in particular, whether or not onomatopoeia is an idiosyncratic group of words in the lexicon. This objective is implemented by evaluating the characteristics of onomatopoeia in English and Slovak from the semiotic and phonic points of view.
A pioneering book establishing the foundations for research into word-formation typology and tendencies. It fills a gap in cross-linguistic research by being the first systematic survey of the word-formation of the world's languages. Drawing on over 1500 examples from fifty-five languages, it provides a wider global representation than any other volume. This data, from twenty-eight language families and forty-five language genera, reveals associations between word-formation processes in genetically and geographically distinct languages. Data presentation from two complementary perspectives, semasiological and onomasiological, shows both the basic functions of individual word-formation processes and the ways of expressing selected cognitive categories. Language data was gathered by way of detailed questionnaires completed by over eighty leading experts on the languages discussed. The book is aimed at academic researchers and graduate students in language typology, linguistic fieldwork and morphology.
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