Keywords
sound symbolism
Kazakh languagе
vowels
semantic correspondence
experiment
Kazakh languagе
vowels
semantic correspondence
experiment
Abstract
This article provides a comprehensive study of the semantic correspondence of Kazakh vowel sounds within the framework of sound symbolism theory. The main aim of the research is to determine the associations between specific vowel phonemes and universal semantic oppositions through experimental methods, and to reveal their cognitive and cultural foundations. Although sound symbolism has been widely investigated in global linguistics, it remains insufficiently explored in Kazakh linguistics. Thus, this study addresses an important gap in the field. Five Kazakh vowel sounds (A, Ä, İ, O, Ū) and ten semantic oppositions (big–small, white–black, light–dark, male– female, strong–weak) were selected as material. The experiment involved 67 native speakers of Kazakh aged 18–25. A survey was conducted on Google Forms using the semantic differential method. The collected data were analyzed with the Jamovi program, calculating mean values, medians, and standard deviations. The findings demonstrated that the associations between sounds and meanings are not random. The vowels “O” and “Ū” were most often linked with concepts of largeness, strength, and masculinity, while “İ” and “Ä” were associated with weakness, smallness, and femininity. The vowel “A” revealed a universal symbolic function by showing significant associations with opposite categories such as “white–black” and “light–dark.” This highlights its multifunctional role in the Kazakh language. Overall, the study proves that sound symbolism in Kazakh is grounded not only in articulatory and acoustic features, but also in cognitive and cultural factors.
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