Continuity and change
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Juan Carlos Moreno Cabrera
Abstract
Ablaut Reduplication (AR), as in see-saw, knick-knack, is frequently used in different languages to mimic movement. In this paper, I will discuss its possible iconic interpretations. Following and developing an idea originally suggested by Thun (1963: 75–87), I will show that AR is associated with a physical (visual or acoustic) alternating movement in the following way: reduplication in AR mimics continuity, including repetition, plurality, distribution and habitualness (Fischer 2011: 67), and vowel alternation mimics change including variation, change of direction, instability, uncertainty, vacillation, reciprocity and interruption. I will show that all these meanings can be derived from the combination of the two abstract notions of continuity and change as applied to different aspects of reality and from the results of various semantic shifts associated with reduplicative constructions in general (Fischer 2011: 65–67). I will discuss examples from different languages (including English, French, Spanish, Basque, Estonian, Khakas and Chinese) in order to check the general character of the proposed iconic analysis of AR expressions.
Abstract
Ablaut Reduplication (AR), as in see-saw, knick-knack, is frequently used in different languages to mimic movement. In this paper, I will discuss its possible iconic interpretations. Following and developing an idea originally suggested by Thun (1963: 75–87), I will show that AR is associated with a physical (visual or acoustic) alternating movement in the following way: reduplication in AR mimics continuity, including repetition, plurality, distribution and habitualness (Fischer 2011: 67), and vowel alternation mimics change including variation, change of direction, instability, uncertainty, vacillation, reciprocity and interruption. I will show that all these meanings can be derived from the combination of the two abstract notions of continuity and change as applied to different aspects of reality and from the results of various semantic shifts associated with reduplicative constructions in general (Fischer 2011: 65–67). I will discuss examples from different languages (including English, French, Spanish, Basque, Estonian, Khakas and Chinese) in order to check the general character of the proposed iconic analysis of AR expressions.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction xi
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Part I. Phonic dimensions
- The effect of iconicity flash blindness 3
- Iconic treadmill hypothesis 15
- Tracking linguistic primitives 39
- Continuity and change 63
- Iconicity in English literary neologisms 85
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Part II. Cognitive dimensions
- Toward a theory of poetic iconicity 99
- The ocean of surging emotion 119
- Ekphrasis, cognition, and iconicity 135
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Part III. Multimodal dimensions
- Deleuze and the Baroque diagram 153
- Bridging the gap between image and metaphor through cross-modal iconicity 167
- Iconicity, ‘intersemiotic translation’ and the sonnet in the visual poetry of Avelino De Araújo 191
- Reading across the gutter 209
- The role of iconicity in package design 229
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Part IV. Performative dimensions
- Iconicity in Buddhist language and literature 249
- Iconization of sociolinguistic variables 263
- Performative iconicity 287
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Part V. New dimensions of iconicity
- Why notational iconicity is a form of operational iconicity 303
- Iconicity, ambiguity, interpretability 321
- The iconicity of literary analysis 331
- Author index 345
- Subject index 347
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Preface ix
- Introduction xi
-
Part I. Phonic dimensions
- The effect of iconicity flash blindness 3
- Iconic treadmill hypothesis 15
- Tracking linguistic primitives 39
- Continuity and change 63
- Iconicity in English literary neologisms 85
-
Part II. Cognitive dimensions
- Toward a theory of poetic iconicity 99
- The ocean of surging emotion 119
- Ekphrasis, cognition, and iconicity 135
-
Part III. Multimodal dimensions
- Deleuze and the Baroque diagram 153
- Bridging the gap between image and metaphor through cross-modal iconicity 167
- Iconicity, ‘intersemiotic translation’ and the sonnet in the visual poetry of Avelino De Araújo 191
- Reading across the gutter 209
- The role of iconicity in package design 229
-
Part IV. Performative dimensions
- Iconicity in Buddhist language and literature 249
- Iconization of sociolinguistic variables 263
- Performative iconicity 287
-
Part V. New dimensions of iconicity
- Why notational iconicity is a form of operational iconicity 303
- Iconicity, ambiguity, interpretability 321
- The iconicity of literary analysis 331
- Author index 345
- Subject index 347
