Schedule StuTS 70

Sonority is per se a controversial topic, the definition of which poses methodological difficulties. However, there is a broad consensus in the scientific community that sonority is a non-binary phonological element that can be used to categorize all sounds into a hierarchical scale (Ladefoged, 2000: 227). Using an adapted form of Fought’s sonority scale (Fought et al. 2004), this study will analyse and compare the mean sonority values of European languages. Additionally, it will contrast the mean values of the sonority with the subjective perception of the languages (Kogan & Reiterer 2021), to investigate whether a correlation can be determined. This novel approach to studying language is arguably what sets my research apart, given that the inclusion of language perception is part of the rather young discipline of phonaesthetics. Language perception is influenced by a myriad of factors and consequently, identifying the phonaesthetic component, which could be described as the emotional perception of a language, is not an easy feat. The results of the analysis will also serve as a foundation to re-analyse older theories, such as the correlation between climate and the sonority of a language.

Phonaesthetics is a young and promising field which, in time, will change the way we study and conceptualise language. In everyday conversations, non-linguists often focus on their perception of languages, describing them as beautiful, sweet in sound, and harmonious. Among linguists, however, studying the subjective perception of languages has long been viewed as unscientific, which is why little research about it has been done. My thesis, by contrast, is part of an emerging academic current that strives to reverse this trend. Not only does my thesis address this lack of academic interest, but it emphasises that studying the beauty of language is, in fact, crucial to understanding language itself.

Info

Day: 2021-11-20
Start time: 13:30
Duration: 00:30
Room: 🧉
Track: Neuro- and Psycholinguistics
Language: en

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