Phonaesthemes in standard Arabi

Abstract EN

Phonaesthemes are a set of sound-inspired meanings in a language.

They represent words, nouns, adjectives, or verbs whose general meaning is related.

The present paper sheds light on this area by investigating phonaesthemes in Standard Arabic through a broader consideration of all the possible syllables and sound sequences which are expressive of phonaesthemes.

There exist in Standard Arabic certain sound syllables, mainly initial ones, that manifest a noticeable similarity in meaning and this paper attempts at investigating this area.

Firstly, phonaesthemes are introduced as to definition, history, and cross-linguistic familiarity.

Then, phonaesthemes in Standard Arabic are listed along with a broader discussion.

Finally, a few conclusions, results, and implications are proposed at the end of the research