중국 시에 반영된 말소리 도상성 고찰 - 당대 도망시와 변새시를 중심으로

Abstract

No argument can be made against the arbitrary relationship between the sounds of a word and the meaning behind that word. The onomatopoeia may be regarded as the only exception to this universal property. However, recent studies in a laboratory setting have found that speakers of different languages appear to be consistent in associating certain sounds to a group of particular meanings. This sound effects on word meaning can be called sound iconicity. In order to understand sound iconicity in Chinese, the present study examined the reconstructed sounds of the Tang poems. In particular, two genres of the Tang poems, namely, daowangshi and biansaishi, were examined. These two genres were chosen since they represent opposing poetic characteristics; daowangshi expresses the deepest sorrow of a poet mourning for the death of a loved one, while biansaishi often depicts a courageous and heroic figure at war sites. Results of this study find: (1) the relationship between sound and meaning may not be a direct connection between a single sound feature and a certain meaning. Rather a group of features may be responsible for certain meanings or feelings. (2) Openness of vowels may play a role in expressing different poetic modalities, e.g., sadness vs. courageousness. (3) Despite much discussion on the tonal difference among different genres of traditional Chinese poems, tonal effects may not be immediately observable. Further statistical research is warranted to attest the relation between tone and rhyme schemes and poetic themes.