New Book - Voeltz: Ideophones

[Paul Peranteau]

A new book from John Benjamins Publishing:

Ideophones
F.K. Erhard VOELTZ and Christa KILLIAN-HATZ (Cologne University) (eds.)

Typological Studies in Language 44
2001. x, 436 pp. Hardcover
US & Canada: 1 58811 019 2 / USD 114.00
Rest of world: 90 272 2946 5 / EUR 125.00

The present volume represents a selection of papers presented at the
International Symposium on Ideophones held in January 1999 in St. Augustin,
Germany. They center around the following hypotheses: Ideophones are
universal; and constitute a grammatical category in all languages of the
world; ideophones and similar words have a special dramaturgic function
that differs from all other word classes: they simulate an event, an
emotion, a perception through language. In addition to this unique
function, a good number of formal parallels can be observed. The languages
dealt with here display strikingly similar patterns of derivational
processes involving ideophones. An equally widespread common feature is the
introduction of ideophones via a verbum dicendi or complementizer. Another
observation concerns the sound-symbolic behavior of ideophones. Thus the
word formation of ideophones differs from other words in their tendency for
iconicity and sound-symbolism. Finally it is made clear that ideophones are
part of spoken language--the language register, where gestures are
used--rather than written language.

Contributions by: F. K. Erhard Voeltz & Christa Kilian-Hatz; Barry Alpher;
Felix K. Ameka; Azeb Amha; G.Tucker Childs; Denis Creissels; Francis O.
Egbokhare; Stefan Elders; Vesa Jarva; Nicky de Jong; N.S. Kabuta; Christa
Kilian-Hatz; Marian Klamer; Daniel P. Kunene; Omen N. Maduka-Durunze;
William McGregor; Eve Mikone; C.T. Msimang & G. Poulos; Paul Newman; Philip
A. Noss; Janis B. Nuckolls; Paulette Roulon-Doko; Carl Rubino; William J.
Samarin; Ronald P. Schaefer; Eva Schultze-Berndt; Okombe-Lukumbu Tassa.

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