We are fascinated by what words sound like. This fascination also drives us to search for meaning in sound - thereby contradicting the principle of the arbitrariness of the linguistic sign. Phonesthemes, onomatopoeia or rhyming compounds all share the property of carrying meaning by virtue of what they sound like, simply because language users establish an association between form and meaning. By drawing on a wide array of examples, ranging from conventionalized words and expressions to brand names and slogans, this book offers a comprehensive account of the role that sound symbolism and rhyme/alliteration plays in English, and by doing so, advocates a more relaxed view of the category 'morpheme' that is able to incorporate less regular word-formation processes.

We are fascinated by what words sound like. This fascination also drives us to search for meaning in sound - thereby contradicting the principle of the arbitrariness of the linguistic sign. Phonesthemes, onomatopoeia or rhyming compounds all share the property of carrying meaning by virtue of what they sound like, simply because language users establish an association between form and meaning. By drawing on a wide array of examples, ranging from conventionalized words and expressions to brand names and slogans, this book offers a comprehensive account of the role that sound symbolism and rhyme/alliteration plays in English, and by doing so, advocates a more relaxed view of the category 'morpheme' that is able to incorporate less regular word-formation processes.

Wrestling with Words and Meanings honors the life and career of Professor Keith Allan, commemorating at the same time the occasion of his 70th birthday. The book brings together top-level researchers in linguistics - colleagues, collaborators, and former students - who have all been inspired by Allan's work in some way. These appropriately eclectic contributions are organized into the three main themes that run through Allan's multifaceted and multifarious research: word meaning, pragmatics and discourse, and semantic theory and philosophy of language. The festschrift offers glimpses into corpus linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and cultural linguistics, as well as the more traditional descriptive, diachronic, and typological perspectives. It is an outstanding collection in honor of an outstanding researcher. (Series: Linguistics)