30.706, Diss: Applied Linguistics; Arabic: Khaled Khader Oraby: ''A Phonosemantic Study of the Phoneme /S/ in Standard Arabic''

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-30-706. Wed Feb 13 2019. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 30.706, Diss: Applied Linguistics; Arabic: Khaled Khader Oraby: ''A Phonosemantic Study of the Phoneme /S/ in Standard Arabic''

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Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2019 11:22:59
From: Khaled Oraby [khaled8118 at yahoo.com]
Subject: A Phonosemantic Study of the Phoneme /S/ in Standard Arabic

 
Institution: Yarmouk University 
Program: Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2003 

Author: Khaled Khader Oraby

Dissertation Title: A Phonosemantic Study of the Phoneme /S/ in Standard Arabic 

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics


Dissertation Director(s):

Dissertation Abstract:

There has been a wide controversy over the relationship between sound and
meaning for many years. Many linguists, such as de Saussure (1916), think that
the relation between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary. This study
attempts to argue for the truth-value of this relationship by testing the
Arabic words compiled in Al9ain dictionary that contain the phoneme /S/.
Besides, a questionnaire has been conducted prompting informants with nonsense
words that contain the phoneme /S/ and asking them to relate these words to
their apparently suitable definitions based on their phonosemantic intuitions.
Based on that, both existing and nonsense carriers have been classified into
four major semantic domains that are assumed to be commonly signified by the
words that contain the phoneme /S/:

1. Strength, Intensity or Force.
2. Fracture, Separation or Openness.
3. Height, Straightening or Sleekness.
4. Change, Deviation or Emergence.

The Findings have shown up some points concerning the relationship between
sounds and meanings. The most important of which has been that there is an
iconic correlation between the words that contain the phoneme /S/ distributed
fairly equally to the initial, medial and final positions and the four
formerly mentioned semantic domains. Also, these findings point out that this
correlation is inherent to the phoneme /S/ since it is iconically mirrored in
the articulation. Moreover, it has been found that it is innately encoded in
the human’s phonosemantic competence, which is deemed to be an essential part
of his/her linguistic competence. Herein, the individual’s demographic
background would play no significant role in establishing his/her
phonosemantic competence. However, over the days, it is supposed that it would
play a role in refreshing such a competence.

The study has come up with some recommendations that may be taken into
consideration particularly by Arab linguists.




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