Onomatopoeia

The Colorful World of Sounds

Lívia Körtvélyessy (Šafárik University, Košice)

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Hardback

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English

Cambridge University Press
13 November 2025

Semantics; Phonetics, phonology; Grammar, syntax; Semiotics & semiology

How do languages capture and represent the sounds of the world? Is this a universal phenomenon? Drawing from data taken from 124 different languages, this innovative book offers a detailed exploration of onomatopoeia, that are imagic icons of sound events. It provides comprehensive analysis from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, and identifies the prototypical semiotic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, word-formation, and socio-pragmatic features of onomatopoeia. Supported with numerous examples from the sample languages, the book highlights the varied scope of onomatopoeia in different languages, its relationship to ideophones and interjections, and the role of sound symbolism, particularly phonesthemes, in onomatopoeia-formation. It introduces an onomasiological model of onomatopoeia-formation, identifies onomatopoeic patterns, and specifies the factors affecting the similarities and differences between onomatopoeias standing for the same sound event. Filling a major gap in language studies, it is essential reading for researchers and students of phonology, morphology, semiotics, poetics, and linguistic typology.

By: Lívia Körtvélyessy (Šafárik University Košice)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 787g
ISBN: 9781009438018
ISBN 10: 1009438018
Pages: 420
Publication Date: 13 November 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of figures; List of tables; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. Defining Onomatopoeia; 3. Onomatopoeias as linguistic signs; 4. Prototypical features of Onomatopoeia; 5. Onomatopoeia and sound symbolism; 6. Cross-linguistic Onomatopoeic patterns; 7. Richness of languages in Onomatopoeias by sound type and source; 8. Onomatopoeias vs. Ideophones; 9. Conclusion; Appendix 1 – DATA SHEET 1; Appendix 2 – DATA SHEET 2; References; Author index; Language index; Subject index.

Lívia Körtvélyessy is Professor of Linguistics at Pavol Jozef Safárik University, Kosice. Her notable publications include Creativity in Word-formation and Word-interpretation (2022) and Onomatopoeia in the World's Languages (2024).