{"id":1464,"date":"2019-03-24T21:15:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-24T21:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/?p=1464"},"modified":"2019-03-24T21:15:11","modified_gmt":"2019-03-24T21:15:11","slug":"ideophones-and-sound-poetry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wri-101k-s19.andrewrippeon.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/ideophones-and-sound-poetry\/","title":{"rendered":"Ideophones and Sound Poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\tWhen you hear the words boom, bang,<\/em> or thud,<\/em> you probably recall an idea about the sound the word describes.  They don\u2019t mimic the sound like an onomatopoeia does, but the sound of the word and its meaning just seem to fit.   For example, try to identify the meanings of the following words in various different languages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shiin<\/em> in Japanese means (a) loud or (b) silent?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chamak chamak <\/em>in Hindi means (a) plain or (b) flashy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varkpara<\/em> in Dagaare means (a) messy or (b) clean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ratzfatz <\/em>in German means (a) fast or (b) slow?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mozhu-mozhu <\/em>in Tamil means (a) rough or (b) smooth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answers to the questions are b\/b\/a\/a\/b. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words like those above are called ideophones and they can be found in nearly every language on earth.  If you answered many correctly, don\u2019t be too surprised, the sounds of the words help you understand the meaning.  If you struggled, don\u2019t worry too much, studies show humans understand ideophones more easily when they are spoken by a native speaker rather than being read on a page.  The notion that words evoke feelings within us is quite obvious; crying at the end of a sad movie or rejoicing after reading a college acceptance letter are evidence of this.  The quandary that ideophones bring up is the concept of feelings evoked not by the meaning of the words spoken, but rather the sounds produced in saying them. The same concept can be seen in sound poetry.  For those who are unfamiliar, sound poetry is a mix of literary and musical composition with few or no words that is specifically intended for performance. Sound poets attempt to evoke feelings using speech, in the same way ideophones do, not based on societal conceptions of language but instead using sound.  The prevalence of ideophones in language and creation of sound poetry by humans can be comprehended in one of two ways. The first sees them as creatively advanced, showcasing how far the human race has come intellectually. The other interpretation regards ideophones and sound poetry as inherently primitive and a devolution of language.  Ideophones are words that depict sensory imagery that are foundational to language as we know it, while poetry including sound poetry is seen as one of the most high functioning developments in human thought, this intensifies the debate of whether comprehension based simply upon sound is primitive or sophisticated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\tAccording to linguist and ethnomusicologist Roger Blench ideophones are, \u201ca characteristic feature of languages worldwide\u201d (Blench 1). This near-universality of ideophones in language suggests that they serve a purpose for speakers or at least don’t hinder understanding.  Other things that are evident in cultures around the globe include the use of fire and tools, division of labor, and belief in the supernatural (or something similar). All these require relatively high functioning thought. Anything that is universal in human cultures seems to have some advantage.  Through this lense, maybe its true that ideophones are conceptually advanced rather than primitive. The view that sound poetry should be considered intellectually advanced is one that is widespread. Journalists like David Barber of The Atlantic explain, \u201cpoetry qualifies one for membership in an insular subculture, if not something closer to a secret society\u201d (Barber 1).  Louis Menand of The New Yorker wrote an article titled \u201cCan Poetry Change Your Life?\u201d where he later explains why it can, and has for many people. As for sound poetry in specific, it\u2019s easy to focus on both Steve McCaffrey\u2019s Carnival<\/em> and The Four Horsemen\u2019s Emotional Poetry. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n