Iconicity Atlas
homesitemap



Language (dialect):
 
Name (optional):
 
Age (optional):
 
Country / Hometown / Region of the country where you grew up or lived most of your life:
 
E-mail[*]If you wish to have your voice recorded for the Atlas, please, leave your email address. (optional):


Instructions:

  • Please read the instruction and the questions carefully;
  • Abbreviations int., n. and v. stand for interjection (e.g., ha-ha), noun (e.g., laughter) and verb (e.g., laugh) respectively;
  • If your language has ideophones[*]Ideophone is ‘a vivid representation of an idea in sound; a word, often onomatopoeic, which describes a predicate, qualificative or adverb in respect to manner, color, sound, smell, action, state or intensity’ (Doke 1935)., please enter them under interjection, adding (id.) in parentheses;
  • Your answers should NOT be a direct translation of the name of the concept given in the first column – the name of the concept is just an umbrella term for a group of words related by meaning (e.g., under LAUGH English giggle, guffaw, snigger etc. are grouped);
  • There may be more than one answer possible (e.g., for the concept LAUGH you may enter (int.) ha-ha, ho-ho, (n.) laughter, giggle, snigger etc. separated by commas);
  • It is possible that your language may not contain words denoting all the listed concepts, or the concepts might not be expressed by certain parts of speech (most probably, there would be no interjection); in this case, please, indicate the absence of a word by a dash ‘—’;
  • One word can define several concepts (e.g., English cry is used to denote two concepts – WHEEP and SHOUT);
  • You are most welcome to give your own comments on the usage or origin of the words in the section ‘Comments’.
  • If your language uses an alphabet other than Latin or other writing systems (e.g. hieroglyphs), please provide a transcription. If you have never transcribed the words in your language and/or not sure how to do the transcription, provide only the written form of the word.



N Name of iconic concept Question(s) Answer(s) Comments
1. BANG
explosion 		How do you imitate a short loud explosive noise, as of a bomb, or bursting of a balloon? How do you name such a sound? How do you name the action of producing such a sound?
int.
n.
v.
2. BARK
dog 		How do you imitate the sound(s) uttered by a dog (barks, yelps, howls)? How do you name such sound(s)? How do you name the action of producing such sound(s)?
int.
n.
v.
3. BEEP
electronic 		How do you imitate a short, relatively high-pitched tone, signal or warning such as that produced by an electronic device, the tonal sound of a button press, or a truck moving backwards? How do you name such sound(s)? How do you name the action of producing such sound(s)?
int.
n.
v.
4. BITE
eating 		How do you name an act of biting, severing, or tearing food with your teeth and a sound accompanying such actions?
int.
n.
v.
5. BLEAT
sheep, goat 		How do you imitate a cry of a sheep or a goat? How do you name such sound(s)? How do you name the action of producing such sound(s)?
int.
n.
v.
6. BLOW
lips 		How do you name an act performed when one produces or emits a breath of air (e.g., while extinguishing a candle, exhaling cigarette smoke etc.) and/or the sound which accompanies such an action?
int.
n.
v.
7. BUBBLE
boiling water 		How do you imitate a gurgling sound produced by boiling water or sparkling water? How do you name such sound(s)? How do you name the action of producing such sound(s)? And how do you name a nearly spherical body of gas contained in such liquids?
int.
n.
v.
8. BUZZ
insect 		How do you imitate a sibilant hum (e.g. of a bee, mosquito, or another insect)? How do you name such sound(s)? How do you name the action of producing such sound(s)?
int.
n.
v.
9. CHEW
food 		How do you imitate various sounds one produces while chewing, biting upon or grinding smth. (e.g., an apple)? How do you name such sound(s)? How do you name the action of producing such sound(s)?
int.
n.
v.
10. CHIRP
bird 		How do you imitate a short high-pitched sound uttered by a bird (a chirp or a peep)? How do you name such sound(s)? How do you name the action of producing such sound(s)?
int.
n.
v.























above