Redrawing the margins of language: Lessons from research on ideophones

TLDR

Ideophones, first described in the 1850s as vivid sensory words in West‑African languages, have been systematically studied in linguistics ever since. The paper surveys the history of ideophone research and argues that their dual nature offers a chance to reframe typology, reconsider language ideology, and rethink linguistic margins, while synthesizing insights to guide future work. The review synthesizes past theoretical insights and empirical findings on ideophones to provide a foundation for future research. Despite being marginalized, ideophone research has advanced our understanding of sensory language, iconicity, lexical typology, and morphosyntax.

Abstract

Ideophones (also known as expressives, mimetics or onomatopoeia) have been systematically studied in linguistics since the 1850s, when they were first described as a lexical class of vivid sensory words in West-African languages. This paper surveys the research history of ideophones, from its roots in African linguistics to its fruits in language description and linguistic theory around the globe. It shows that despite a recurrent narrative of marginalization, scholars working on ideophones have made important advances in our understanding of sensory language, iconicity, lexical typology, and morphosyntax. Due to their dual nature as vocal gestures that grow roots in linguistic systems, ideophones provide opportunities to reframe typological questions, reconsider the role of language ideology in linguistic scholarship, and rethink the margins of language. With ideophones increasingly being brought into the fold of the language sciences, this review synthesizes past theoretical insights and empirical findings in order to enable future work to build on them.