Papers - Kawahara, Shigeto

Novel vocalizations are understood across cultures

Ćwiek et al.

Scientific Reports (Scientific Reports)  11 ( 1 )  2021.05

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted

　View Summary

Linguistic communication requires speakers to mutually agree on the meanings of words, but how does such a system first get off the ground? One solution is to rely on iconic gestures: visual signs whose form directly resembles or otherwise cues their meaning without any previously established correspondence. However, it is debated whether vocalizations could have played a similar role. We report the first extensive cross-cultural study investigating whether people from diverse linguistic backgrounds can understand novel vocalizations for a range of meanings. In two comprehension experiments, we tested whether vocalizations produced by English speakers could be understood by listeners from 28 languages from 12 language families. Listeners from each language were more accurate than chance at guessing the intended referent of the vocalizations for each of the meanings tested. Our findings challenge the often-cited idea that vocalizations have limited potential for iconic representation, demonstrating that in the absence of words people can use vocalizations to communicate a variety of meanings.

• Access to Document (DOI)

Exploring the nature of cumulativity in sound symbolism: Experimental studies of Pokémonastics with English speakers

Kawahara, Shigeto and Canaan Breiss

Laboratory Phonology (Laboratory Phonology)  12 ( 1 ) 1 - 29 2021.01

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted,  ISSN  18686354

　View Summary

There has been a dramatic rise of interest in sound symbolism, systematic associations between sounds and meanings. Despite this, one aspect that is still markedly under-explored is its cumulative nature, i.e., when there are two or more sounds with the same symbolic meaning, whether these effects add up or not. These questions are important to address, since they bear on the general question of how speakers take into account multiple sources of evidence when they make linguistic decisions. Inspired by an accumulating body of research on cumulativity in other linguistic patterns, two experiments on sound symbolism using Pokémon names were conducted with native speakers of English. The experiments tested two types of cumulativity: Counting cumulativity, which holds if the effects of multiple instances of the same factor add up, and ganging-up cumulativity, which holds when the effects of different factors add up. The experiments addressed whether these patterns of cumulativity hold in sound symbolism, and, more importantly, if so, how. We found that (1) three factors can show ganging-up cumulativity, (2) counting cumulativity and ganging-up cumulativity can coexist in a single system, (3) ganging-up cumulativity patterns can plausibly be considered to be linear, and (4) counting cumulativity effects can be sub-linear.

• Access to Document (DOI)

Assessing the prosodic licensing of wh-in-situ in Japanese: A computational-experimental approach

Kawahara, Shigeto, Jason Shaw, and Shinichiro Ishihara

Natural Language and Linguistic Theory  2021.01

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted

How to express evolution in English Pokémon names.

Kawahara, Shigeto & Jeff Moore

Linguistics (Linguistics)  59 ( 3 ) 577 - 607 2021

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted,  ISSN  00243949

　View Summary

This article contributes to the studies of sound symbolism, systematic relationships between sounds and meanings. Specifically, we build on a series of studies conducted within a research paradigm called "Pokémonastics,"which uses the Pokémon universe to explore sound symbolic patterns. Inspired by a study of existing English Pokémon names, two experiments were conducted in which English speakers were provided with pairs of pre-evolution and post-evolution Pokémon characters, the latter of which were larger. The participants were given two name choices whose members were systematically different in some phonological properties. The results show the following sound symbolic patterns to be productive: (1) names with higher segment counts are more likely to be associated with post-evolution characters than names with lower segment counts, (2) names containing [a] are more likely to be associated with post-evolution characters than names containing [i], (3) names containing [u] are more likely to be associated with post-evolution characters than names containing [i], and (4) names containing coronal consonants are more likely to be associated with post-evolution characters than names containing labial consonants. Overall, the current results suggest that phonological considerations come into play when English speakers name new fictional creatures. Implications of the current results for the theories of sound symbolism are discussed throughout the paper.

• Access to Document (DOI)

What voiced obstruents symbolically represent in Japanese: Evidence from the Pokémon universe

Kawahara, Shigeto & Gakuji Kumagai

Journal of Japanese Linguistics (Journal of Japanese Linguistics)  37 ( 1 ) 3 - 24 2021

Research paper (scientific journal), Accepted

　View Summary

Kawahara, Noto, and Kumagai (2018b) found that within the corpus of existing Pokémon names, the number of voiced obstruents in the characters' names correlates positively with their weight, height, evolution levels and attack values. While later experimental studies to some extent confirmed the productivity of these sound symbolic relationships (e.g. Kawahara and Kumagai 2019a), they are limited, due to the fact that the visual images presented to the participants primarily differed with regard to evolution levels. The current experiments thus for the first time directly explored how each of these semantic dimensions - weight, height, evolution levels, and attack values - correlates with the number of voiced obstruents in nonce names. The results of two judgment experiments show that all of these parameters indeed correlate positively with the number of voiced obstruents in the names. Overall, the results show that a particular class of sounds - in our case, a set of voiced obstruents - can signal different semantic meanings within a single language, supporting the pluripotentiality of sound symbolism (Winter, Pérez-Sobrino, and Brown 2019). We also address another general issue that has been under-explored in the literature on sound symbolism; namely, its cumulative nature. In both of the experiments, we observe that two voiced obstruents evoke stronger images than one voiced obstruent, instantiating what is known as the counting cumulativity effect (Jäger and Rosenbach 2006).

• Access to Document (DOI)

Sound symbolism in Brazilian Portuguese Pokémon names: Evidence for cross-linguistic similarities and differences

Godoy M.C., Gomes A.L., Kumagai G., Kawahara S.

Journal of Portuguese Linguistics (Journal of Portuguese Linguistics)  20 ( 1 ) 1 - 23 2021

　View Summary

Several studies in linguistics and related disciplines have been extensively exploring sound symbolism, systematic associations between sounds and meanings. Against this theoretical development, research on Pokémon names has shed new light on cross-linguistic similarities and differences in sound symbolic patterns, using similar experimental stimuli across different target languages. A recent experimental study has demonstrated that Brazilian Portuguese speakers sound-symbolically signal evolution when naming Pokémon characters: post-evolution Pokémon characters tend to receive longer names with more voiced obstruents, while preevolution characters tend to receive shorter names with fewer voiced obstruents. Other recent studies showed that in Japanese and English, sound symbolism can also signal differences in Pokémon type: evil-looking characters tend to be associated with voiced obstruents, while flyingtype characters tend to have names with sibilants. Integrating the insights offered by these two lines of previous studies, the current paper examines whether Brazilian Portuguese speakers are sensitive to these type-related sound symbolic associations. To improve upon previous studies, we used a free-naming task in order to give participants freedom to create new names. This experiment corroborated the associations between voiced obstruents and evil-type characters, but not the association between sibilants and flying-type characters. A follow-up experiment with a forced-choice paradigm, the same method used in earlier work, also failed to reveal systematic connections between sibilants and flying-type characters. These results indicate that this association may not be universal, contrary to the claim made in previous studies.

• Access to Document (DOI)

Visual and Proprioceptive Perceptions Evoke Motion-Sound Symbolism: Different Acceleration Profiles Are Associated With Different Types of Consonants

Shinohara K., Kawahara S., Tanaka H.

Frontiers in Psychology (Frontiers in Psychology)  11 2020.11

　View Summary

© Copyright © 2020 Shinohara, Kawahara and Tanaka. A growing body of literature has shown that one perceptual modality can be systematically associated with sensation in another. However, the cross-modal relationship between linguistic sounds and motions (i.e., motion-sound symbolism) is an extremely understudied area of research. Against this background, this paper examines the cross-modal correspondences between categories of consonants on one hand and different acceleration profiles of motion stimuli on the other. In the two experiments that we conducted, we mechanically manipulated the acceleration profiles of the stimuli while holding the trajectory paths constant, thus distinguishing the effect of acceleration profiles from that of motion path shapes. The results show that different acceleration profiles can be associated with different types of consonants; in particular, movements with acceleration and deceleration tend to be associated with a class of sounds called obstruents, whereas movements without much acceleration tend to be associated with a class of sounds called sonorants. Moreover, the current experiments show that this sort of cross-modal correspondence arises even when the stimuli are not presented visually, namely, when the participants’ hands were moved passively by a manipulandum. In conclusion, the present study adds an additional piece of evidence demonstrating that bodily action-based information, i.e., proprioception as a very feasible candidate, could lead to sound symbolic patterns.

• Access to Document (DOI)

A wug-shaped curve in sound symbolism: The case of Japanese Pokémon names

Kawahara, Shigeto

Phonology (Phonology)  37 ( 3 ) 383 - 418 2020.10

Research paper (scientific journal), Accepted,  ISSN  09526757

　View Summary

An experiment showed that Japanese speakers' judgement of Pokémons' evolution status on the basis of nonce names is affected both by mora count and by the presence of a voiced obstruent. The effects of mora count are a case of counting cumulativity, and the interaction between the two factors a case of ganging-up cumulativity. Together, the patterns result in what Hayes (2020) calls 'wug-shaped curves', a quantitative signature predicted by MaxEnt. I show in this paper that the experimental results can indeed be successfully modelled with MaxEnt, and also that Stochastic Optimality Theory faces an interesting set of challenges. The study was inspired by a proposal made within formal phonology, and reveals important previously understudied aspects of sound symbolism. In addition, it demonstrates how cumulativity is manifested in linguistic patterns. The work here shows that formal phonology and research on sound symbolism can be mutually beneficial.

• Access to Document (DOI)

A Review of Statistics for Linguists: An Introduction using R by Bodo Winter

Shigeto Kawahara

Phonology 37 ( 3 )  2020.10

Research paper (other academic), Single Work

音象徴の抽象性：赤ちゃん用のオムツの名付けにおける唇音.

熊谷学而・川原繁人

言語研究 157 2020.04

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted

Do sibilants fly? Evidence from a sound symbolic pattern in Pokémon names

Kawahara S., Godoy M.C., Kumagai G.

Open Linguistics (Open Linguistics)  6 ( 1 ) 386 - 400 2020.01

　View Summary

© 2020 Shigeto Kawahara et al., published by De Gruyter. Ancient writers, including Socrates and the Upanishads, argued that sibilants are associated with the notions of wind, air and sky. From modern perspectives, these statements can be understood as an assertion about sound symbolism, i.e., systematic connections between sounds and meanings. Inspired by these writers, this article reports on an experiment that tests a sound symbolic value of sibilants. The experiment is a case study situated within the Pokémonastics research paradigm, in which the researchers explore the sound symbolic patterns in natural languages using Pokémon names. The current experiment shows that when presented with pairs of a flying-type Pokémon character and a normal-type Pokémon character, Japanese speakers are more likely to associate the flying-type Pokémons with names that contain sibilants than those names that do not contain sibilants. As was pointed out by Socrates, the sound symbolic connection identified in the experiment is likely to be grounded in the articulatory properties of sibilants – the large amount of oral airflow that accompanies the production of sibilants. Various implications of the current experiment for the sound symbolism research are discussed throughout the article.

• Access to Document (DOI)

What's in a villain's name? Sound symbolic values of voiced obstruents and bilabial consonants

Uno, Ryoko, Kazuko Shinohara, Yuta Hosokawa, Naho Atsumi, Gakuji Kumagai & Shigeto Kawahara

Annual Review of Cognitive Linguistics (Review of Cognitive Linguistics)  18 ( 2 ) 428 - 457 2020

Research paper (scientific journal), Accepted,  ISSN  18779751

　View Summary

This paper reports two case studies of sound symbolism using the naturalistic name corpora of characters from Disney and Pokémon. Building upon previous studies of sound symbolism, we tested two hypotheses: (1) voiced obstruents, which are generally associated with negative images, are favored in villainous characters' names, while (2) bilabial consonants, which are symbolically associated with cuteness, are disfavored in such names. The results show that these tendencies hold in our corpora, suggesting that a concept that is as complex as “villain” can be signaled via sound symbolism. Theoretical implications for cognitive linguistics based on our results are discussed.

• Access to Document (DOI)

Japanese perceptual epenthesis is modulated by transitional probability.

Kilpatrick, Alexander, Shigeto Kawahara, Rikke Bundgaard-Nielsen, Brett Baker & Janet Fletcher

Language and Speech (Language and Speech)  64 ( 1 ) 203 - 223 2020

Research paper (scientific journal), Accepted,  ISSN  00238309

　View Summary

Perceptual epenthesis is the perception of illusory vowels in consonantal sequences that violate native phonotactics. The consensus has been that each language has a single, predictable candidate for perceptual epenthesis, that vowel which is most minimal (i.e., shortest and/or quietest). However, recent studies have shown that alternate epenthetic vowels can be perceived when the perceptual epenthesis of the minimal vowel would violate native co-occurrence restrictions. We propose a potential explanation for these observed patterns: speech perception, and thus also vowel perceptual epenthesis, is modulated by transitional probability whereby epenthetic vowels must conform to the language specific expectations of the listener. To test this explanation, we present two experiments examining perceptual epenthesis of two Japanese vowels—/u/ and /i/—against their transitional probability in CV sequences. In Experiment 1, Japanese listeners assigned VCCV tokens to VCuCV and VCiCV categories. In Experiment 2, participants discriminated VCCV tokens from VCuCV and VCiCV tokens. The results show that sequences where /i/ is transitionally probable are more likely to elicit /i/ perceptual epenthesis.

• Access to Document (DOI)

Assessing the prosodic licensing of wh-in-situ in Japanese: A computational-experimental approach

Kawahara, Shigeto, Jason Shaw, and Shinichiro Ishihara (to appear)

Natural Language and Linguistic Theory  2020

Research paper (scientific journal), Accepted

Sound symbolism and theoretical phonology

Kawahara, Shigeto

Language and Linguistic Compass  2020

Research paper (scientific journal), Single Work, Accepted

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Sound symbolism and theoretical phonology

Kawahara, Shigeto

Language and Linguistic Compass  2020

Research paper (scientific journal), Single Work, Accepted

Cross cultural differences in arousal and valence perceptions of voice quality

Erickson D., Kawahara S., Rilliard A., Hayashi R., Sadanobu T., Li Y., Daikuhara H., de Moraes J., Obert K.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Speech Prosody (Proceedings of the International Conference on Speech Prosody)  2020-May   720 - 724 2020

ISSN  23332042

　View Summary

Voice quality differences [1] can convey different attitudes and emotions [2], with speakers of different languages showing different sensitivities to voice qualities, e.g., [3, 4, 5]. It remains to be explored, however, precisely which acoustic properties are perceptually associated with what emotional meanings, and whether such perceptual mappings hold universally or differ across languages. This paper offers a first step addressing these issues. Building upon the previous findings that speakers of different languages demonstrate different sensitivities to voice quality differences, the study examines particularly how the perceptions of arousal and valence are affected by different voice qualities. The current experiment reveals that speakers of the three language groups share similar ratings of arousal in association with breathy voices. Yet the valence ratings vary among the groups: Japanese and Mandarin listeners rate voices with high F0 and small OQ with positivity, whereas Brazilian Portuguese rate voices with low F0 and larger OQ with positivity. The findings of this study have applications for second language teaching, and carry over to the worlds of business, politics, and advertisement; in general, this type of research may have a potential to be useful for improving communication in cross-cultural inter-personal relationships.

• Access to Document (DOI)

Speaking rate normalization across different talkers in the perception of Japanese stop and vowel length contrasts

Kato M., Kawahara S., Idemaru K.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Speech Prosody (Proceedings of the International Conference on Speech Prosody)  2020-May   61 - 65 2020

ISSN  23332042

　View Summary

Perception of duration is critically influenced by the speaking rate of the surrounding context. However, to what extent this speaking rate normalization depends on a specific talker's voice is still understudied. The present study investigated whether listeners' perception of temporally contrastive phonemes is influenced by the speaking rate of the surrounding context, and more importantly, whether the effect of the contextual speaking rate persists across different talkers for different types of contrasts: Japanese singleton-geminate stop contrast (/k/-/kk/) and short-long vowel contrast (/e/-/ee/). The vowel contrast carries more reliable talker information than the stop contrast; hence, listeners' rate-based adjustments may be more talker-specific for vowels than for stops. The current results showed that context speaking rate impacted the perception of the target contrast across different talkers, and this influence was evident for both types of the contrasts tested. These results suggest that listeners generalized their rate-based adjustments to different talkers' speech regardless of whether the target segment carried reliable talker information (i.e., vowel contrast) or not (i.e., stop contrast). The current results bear on the issue of how speaking rate information is processed with respect to talker information.

• Access to Document (DOI)

ポケモン名付けにおける母音と有声阻害音効果: 実験と理論からアプローチ

熊谷学而・川原繁人

言語研究 155 2019.04

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted

「マイボイス」を使って音声学を教える有効性について：アンケート調査の報告

川原繁人・桃生朋子

音声研究 23   22 - 25 2019.04

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted