A perceptual advantage for onomatopoeia in early word learning: Evidence from eye-tracking

Laing, Catherine E.

doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2017.03.017

Cited by 41 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, early onomatopoeia like meow and baa allow a great degree of articulatory latitude, and make way for more constrained arbitrary forms like cat or sheep only when the child's phonological development is up to speed. Her contribution is part of a larger line of work revealing the role of onomatopoeia in early social interaction (Laing, 2014(Laing, , 2017. dingemanse e t al.…”

Section: Contributions To the Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Construals of iconicity: experimental approaches to form–meaning resemblances in language

Dingemanse¹,

Perlman

Perniss

2020

Lang. cogn.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While speculations on form–meaning resemblances in language go back millennia, the experimental study of iconicity is only about a century old. Here we take stock of experimental work on iconicity and present a double special issue with a diverse set of new contributions. We contextualise the work by introducing a typology of approaches to iconicity in language. Some approaches construe iconicity as a discrete property that is either present or absent; others treat it as involving semiotic relationships that come in kinds; and yet others see it as a gradient substance that comes in degrees. We show the benefits and limitations that come with each of these construals and stress the importance of developing accounts that can fluently switch between them. With operationalisations of iconicity that are well defined yet flexible enough to deal with differences in tasks, modalities, and levels of analysis, experimental research on iconicity is well equipped to contribute to a comprehensive science of language.

show abstract

Section: Contributions To the Special Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Construals of iconicity: experimental approaches to form–meaning resemblances in language

Dingemanse¹,

Perlman

Perniss

2020

Lang. cogn.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, onomatopoetic properties co‐vary with other variables known to support word learning, for example mean pitch, word duration, and repetition (Laing, Vihman, & Keren‐Portnoy, ). Furthermore, the advantage of onomatopoetic over conventional words in infants’ ability to match words to their referents is mediated by infants’ familiarity with the form (Laing, ). Thus, whether or not onomatopoetic words are acquired earlier because children spontaneously recognize the iconic correspondence between word and referent is somewhat unclear.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural reference: A phylo‐ and ontogenetic perspective on the comprehension of iconic gestures and vocalizations

Bohn

Call

Tomasello

2018

Developmental Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The recognition of iconic correspondence between signal and referent has been argued to bootstrap the acquisition and emergence of language. Here, we study the ontogeny, and to some extent the phylogeny, of the ability to spontaneously relate iconic signals, gestures, and/or vocalizations, to previous experience. Children at 18, 24, and 36 months of age (N = 216) and great apes (N = 13) interacted with two apparatuses, each comprising a distinct action and sound. Subsequently, an experimenter mimicked either the action, the sound, or both in combination to refer to one of the apparatuses. Experiments 1 and 2 found no spontaneous comprehension in great apes and in 18‐month‐old children. At 24 months of age, children were successful with a composite vocalization‐gesture signal but not with either vocalization or gesture alone. At 36 months, children succeeded both with a composite vocalization‐gesture signal and with gesture alone, but not with vocalization alone. In general, gestures were understood better compared to vocalizations. Experiment 4 showed that gestures were understood irrespective of how children learned about the corresponding action (through observation or self‐experience). This pattern of results demonstrates that iconic signals can be a powerful way to establish reference in the absence of language, but they are not trivial for children to comprehend and not all iconic signals are created equal.

show abstract

“…Onomatopoeic vocalizations play an important role in early verbal acquisition (Menn and Vihman, 2011). Onomatopoeic words are easier to spot, remember, and comprehend (Laing, 2017). Similarly, onomatopoeic sounds facilitate comprehension of JH music, help in mastering the JH, and model new expressive means.…”

Section: Jaw Harp (Jh) As a Principal Musical Instrument Of Eurasian mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Overlooked Tradition of “Personal Music” and Its Place in the Evolution of Music

Nikolsky¹,

Alekseyev²,

Alekseev

et al. 2020

Front. Psychol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This is an attempt to describe and explain so-called timbre-based music as a special system of musicking, communication, and psychological and social usage, which along with its corresponding beliefs constitutes a viable alternative to "frequency-based" music. Unfortunately, the current scientific research into music has been skewed almost entirely in favor of the frequency-based music prevalent in the West. Subsequently, whenever samples of timbre-based music attract the attention of Western researchers, these are usually interpreted as "defective" implementations of frequency-based music. The presence of discrete pitch is often regarded as the structural criterion that distinguishes music from non-music. We would like to present evidence to the contrary-in support of the existence of indigenous music systems based on the discretization and patterning of aspects of timbre, rather than pitch. This evidence comes mainly from extensive ethnographic research systematically conducted in eastern European and Asian parts of Russia from the 1890s. It involved the efforts of thousands of specialists and was coordinated by dozens of research institutions, and it has included not just ethnomusicology but linguistics, philology, organology, archaeology, anthropology, geography, and religious, and social studies. Much of the data has not been translated into Western languages. Although some Soviet-era publications were tainted by Marxist ideology, many researchers strove to provide accurate information (despite at times having been prosecuted for their work), and post-1990 research undertook a substantial revision of ideologically compromised concepts. Timbre-based tonal organization (TO) differs from that based on frequency in its personal orientation: musicking here occurs primarily for oneself and/or for close relatives/friends. Collective music-making is rare and exceptional. The foundation of timbre-based music seems to have vocal roots and rests on "personal song"-a system of personal identification through individualized patterns of rhythm, timbre, and pitch contour, utilized like a "human voice"-whose sound enables

show abstract

A perceptual advantage for onomatopoeia in early word learning: Evidence from eye-tracking

Cited by 41 publications

References 42 publications

Construals of iconicity: experimental approaches to form–meaning resemblances in language

Construals of iconicity: experimental approaches to form–meaning resemblances in language

Natural reference: A phylo‐ and ontogenetic perspective on the comprehension of iconic gestures and vocalizations

The Overlooked Tradition of “Personal Music” and Its Place in the Evolution of Music

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About