Linguistic Synesthesia - A Meta-Analysis

Linguistic synesthesias combine different senses, as in English smooth melody (touch¿sound). For nearly a century, researchers have gathered data that has been interpreted as supporting the notion of a hierarchical ordering of the senses. According to this proposal, expressions map the presumed-to-be 'lower' senses of touch, taste, and smell onto the presumed-to-be 'higher' senses of sound and sight. Here, this proposal is tested in the first-ever meta-analysis of linguistic synesthesias, combining thirty-eight datasets from fourteen different languages. The authors demonstrate that clear patterns emerge from the data, but many such patterns are inconsistent with the notion of a linear hierarchical order or a simple lower/higher divide of the senses. This calls for a shift in what theories are considered to be viable for explaining asymmetries between the senses in linguistic synesthesia.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction; 2. Why a meta-analysis of linguistic synesthesia is needed; 3. The hierarchy of the senses: evidence and theory; 4. Methods; 5. Analysis #1: Hierarchy congruency; 6. Analysis #2: source/target ratios; 7. Analysis #3: pairwise asymmetry; 8. Analysis #4: specific mappings; 9. Discussion; 10. Conclusion and outlook for future research on linguistic synesthesia; References.

Zusammenfassung

For nearly a century, researchers have gathered data that has been interpreted as supporting the notion of a hierarchical ordering of the senses. This Element tests this proposal in the first-ever meta-analysis of linguistic synesthesias, combining 38 datasets from 14 languages.

Vorwort

This Element serves as the first meta-analysis of linguistic synesthesia, combining data from 14 languages.

Produktdetails

• Autoren: Francesca Strik-Lievers, Bodo Winter, Bodo (University of Birmingham) Strik-Liev Winter
• Verlag: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Sprache: Englisch
• Produktform: Fester Einband
• Erschienen: 30.06.2025
• EAN: 9781009519168
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0951916-8
• Seiten: 84
• Serie: Elements in Cognitive Linguistics
• Themen: Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik > Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft > Sonstige Sprachen / Sonstige Literaturen; Sachbuch > Psychologie, Esoterik, Spiritualität, Anthroposophie > Psychologie: Allgemeines, Nachschlagewerke; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General, Cognition & cognitive psychology, Psycholinguistics, Cognition and cognitive psychology, Cognitive studies, Cognitive Science, Psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics, Bayesian Inference