Diagrammatic Iconicity in EkeGusii: A relation between the structure of form and meaning

Mariera E.O.;  ; E G.Mecha; G M.Anyona;  ;  ;

doi:10.26478/ja2021.9.14.4

Diagrammatic Iconicity in EkeGusii: A relation between the structure of form and meaning

Macrolinguistics ◽

10.26478/ja2021.9.14.4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (14) ◽

pp. 84-100

Author(s):

Mariera E.O. ◽

◽

E G.Mecha ◽

G M.Anyona ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Main Argument ◽

Bantu Language ◽

Language Structure ◽

Stop Criterion ◽

One Stop ◽

Main Ideas

This paper mainly presents evidence for a relationship between language structure and meaning in EkeGusii, a Bantu language spoken in Kenya. The main argument is that the structure of language mirrors the structure of reality. A brief overview of other scholars demonstrates that diagrammatic iconicity shows universal tendencies. Five main ideas run down the discussion. Firstly, in EkeGusii, speakers sub-consciously cluster sounds around related meanings, evidencing gestalt and relative iconicity. Secondly, there is evidence of overlap of morphological and phonetic iconicity, an aspect of phonaesthesia. Thirdly, reduplication in certain infinitives demonstrates the reality of phono-iconicity in EkeGusii, augmented by unpleasant sound sequences. Fourthly, certain onomatopes in EkeGusii are actually diagrammatic, indicating that there is no one stop criterion for classifying overlapping types of icons. And finally, the paper posits that iconicity intersects with arbitrariness showing that language has both motivated and discrete symbols.

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How Injustices Harm You

Unfreedom for All ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190051686.003.0006 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 121-150

Author(s):

Thomas J. Donahue-Ochoa

Keyword(s):

Social Institutions ◽

Main Argument ◽

Arbitrary Power ◽

Decent Life ◽

Institutional Features ◽

Main Ideas ◽

Institutional Feature ◽

Central Social

Chapter 5 mounts the main argument of the book to show that oppression makes everyone unfree. The main ideas are that oppressions are despotic over their victims, that they can endure only if they try to suppress all actual or potential resistance, that any institutional feature of society that suppresses resistance has established authority, that institutional features with established authority are central social institutions, while suppressing resistance to central social institutions counts as authoritarian tactics used against everyone, that such tactics count as arbitrary power, and that to be subjected to such power is to be subjected to unfreedom of the kind theorized by neo-republicans and Hayekian competitive-order theorists. And since we all have a decent-life interest in freedom from arbitrary power, we are all harmed by such oppression, since it sets back this interest for everyone in society.

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Socio-demographic influences on language structure and change: Not all learners are the same

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x15000710 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 ◽

Author(s):

Till Bergmann ◽

Rick Dale ◽

Gary Lupyan

Keyword(s):

Adult Learners ◽

Large Share ◽

Demographic Differences ◽

Language Structure

AbstractThe Now-or-Never bottleneck has important consequence for understanding why languages have the structures they do. However, not addressed by C&C is that the bottleneck may interact with who is doing the learning: While some languages are mostly learned by infants, others have a large share of adult learners. We argue that such socio-demographic differences extend and qualify C&C's thesis.

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