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Eoy.Itiue Poetics €; Trxqressla E So Und Patterns ONTHT,TIP OT'THT, TONGI--Itr: eoy.itiue Poetics €; trxQressla e So und Patterns sv E.P. FIsHEn Cocurrrvn Ponrrcs n their chapter on sound structure in poetry and prose in Theory of Literature, Wellek & Warren refer to what they call the "physiognomy" of words. More than mere metaphor, more than fust a Romantic tradition, and far more pervasive than simple onomatopoeia, phonetic symbolism involves fundamental synesthetic associations like those suggested most famously in Rimbaud's "Les Voyelles ," andcan be proved by acoustic experiments.l The well-known cognitive psychologist, Steven Pinker, refers to this feature of many lan- guages as a "quaint curiosity," which he describes in the following way: THE wRTTER's cHnorurcrr lez When the tongue is high and at the front of the mouth, It is important at the outset to keep the ambiguous aspect it makes a small resonant cavity there that amplifies some of sounds in mind, i.e. the way they may express opposite higher frequencies, and the resulting vowels like ee i and qualities. For example, sibilants like /s/ can be hushingin (as in bit) remind people of little things. When the tongue some contexts andhqrsh in others. Take these famous lines is low and to the back, it makes a large resonant cavity that from the first act of Hamlet: amplifies some lower frequencies, and the resulting voweis like a in father and o in core... remind people of large things. Thus mice are teeny and squeak, but elephants are -Oh, most wicked speed to post humongous and roar.2 With such dexterity to incestuous sheets (Scene 2, 157) Similar subtle effects are observable among consonant sounds Sibilants, in this instance, are expressive of a disturbed mood, as well. This relationship between sound and meaning, espe- and imitate hissing serpents, whereas, by contrast, those in cially its organization and exploitation in poetry and prose, the opening lines of Sonnet XXX help reinforce a different, has not been adequately studied until recently. quiet mood: The burgeoning branch of cognitive science known as "cog- nitive poetics"3 explores the intuitions readers have about When in the sessions of sweet, silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past... the perceptual qualities and emotional symbolism of speech sounds. One pioneer in the field is Reuven Tsur, who heads the Cognitive Poetics So /s/ may imitate natural noises of varying volume proiect at Tel Aviv Uni- (e.g. leaves versus versity. In his research he rustling roaring seas) which require has endeavored to address Although traditional poetic theory strate- scientifically, questions alternative cognitive has addressed question a general gies that puzzle literary theo- this in to direct our attention. The question then becomes: rists and psycholinguists *zy, the science of cognitive poetics looks alike. Why, for example, Is /s/ presented in a "stri- dent" context like a scream, as mentioned above, do at the emotional quality of sounds and or a context with front vowels like /i/ and "tender" their possible sources, as well as how an onomatopoeic quality in /e/ sound "higher" and whispering? "brighter" than back vow- tone and mood are abstracted from the imitation of In sum, speech sounds els like ful and lol? Or, meaning of words. are why do consonants like bundles of acoustic-pho- netic-phonological features lpl ar,d /t/ seem "harder" each of which have different than /m/ and /l/? And, potential flnally, why do languages expressive in differ- ent contexts, and must be investigated in relationship to spe- like French sound more "beautiful" and more "musical" than cific themes and highly generic moods, like "tenderness" and say, German? In short, cognitive poetics tries to explain the As we shall see, phonemes like and "mysterious spell" speech sounds cast on readers and listen- "aggression." ili, lml lnl appear more frequently in poems, while and ers. This survey article, based on some of Tsur's work, will fo- "tender" /k/, ltl predominate in those with an "aggressive" tone. cus on the "poetic mode" and the "musicality" of verse, along /r/ with a cursory overview of "Tip-of-the-Tongue" phenomena. Soumn Coron & Acousrrc Conmc Expnrssrvr Soutrgo Pnrrrnws (( \ fowet color" refers, not only to the association of spe- anguage sounds have general "potentials" which, to- V cific colors with certain vowels in the minds of many T people, also to the association of opposite vowel groups I-r gether with other elements, impress the reader as if they but with opposite properties of color. For example, front-back expressed a specific meaning. These "potentials" have a firm, inter-subiective foundation on different levels of sound vowels are associated with bright- dark opposites, while structure. Of the many kinds of relationship between sound low-high vowels are perceived as chromatic- achro-mat- and meaning (viz. onomatopoeia, expressiveness, focus and ic. Such associations have been shown to exhibit consider- able inter-sub j ective validity cross-culturally.s neutrality)ronly sound combinations grasped as expressive of tone, mood, or some general quality that runs parallel to the Subjects in a real experiment were asked to choose the more pair (dark-bright, abstract meaning, will be considered here. Although tradi- suitable member of a of adjectives far-near, big-small, associated with the vowels and tional poetic theory has addressed this question in a general low-high) /u/ /i/. way, the science of cognitive poetics looks at the emotional Four additional pairs of antonyms were presented that charac- terize acoustic qualities (thick-thin, differentiated-undif- quality of sounds and their possible sources, as well as how their tone and mood are abstracted from the meaning of words. ferentiated, spacious-dense, simple-complicated), Results indi- sEPTEtr/BER zors lea cated that the maiority of participants in the study thought /i/ trasts correspond was "lighter, nearer, smaller, thinner, and simpler" etc., while to a brightness- lul ,by contrast, was considered "dark, far away, thick and darkness dimen- dense" etc. These findings support the hypothesis that the sion. As a result, perceptual qualities underlying speech associated with certain poets may use sounds can be accounted for by assuming that pre-categorical words that con- sensory information reaches consciousness. tain "dark" vowels "Tone color" refers to a property of sound independent of more frequently pitch and loudness that may have developed prior to language in lines referring (e.g. the sound that a piece of wood, metal, glass, or stone to mystic obscu- make when dropped on a concrete surface). The color of the rity, heavy move- sound is determined by its "overtone" structure. Such sounds ment, aggression are higher in frequency than the fundamental sounds simul- or struggle. These taneously emitted with them. Their perception requires fine characteristics are E. P Fisher discriminations that exceed the capacity of the human ear, found not only on and thus make only a general impression. We all think we the level of speech know the difference between the clink of metal and the thud of perception, but on the level of figurative language as well. Evi- wood, but are hard put to explain exactly how we know this. dence exists showing that abstract nouns that convey a highly differentiated level ofconceptual thinking in one context, Tnr Porrrc Moor may also create an emotionallyJaden atmosphere in another. Since global activities such as emotions and spatial orienta- f here is no one-to-one relationship between a sequence of tion are intimately associated with the right hemisphere, the I speech sounds and the acoustic signal that carries it, only poetic mode becomes the preferred instrument to transfer an intermediate step of "complex coding."6 In certain circum- part of the process of the verbal message to the brain. When stances, which we might call the "poetic mode," some aspects the description of an object, using certain stylistic devices, of the acoustic signal enter consciousness only vaguely. Thus, activates the right hemisphere, their representations escape we experience an intuitive awareness that certain vowel con- the control of categorical perception. THE WRITER'S CHNOT'IICLT IEE Human beings have a speech mode and non-speech mode associated with back vowels may be directly related to those of listening which follow different pathways in the nervous perceptions. Furthermore, low differentiation is a characteris- system, the former dominating the latter in any competition tic of emotional, as opposed to rational, qualities. Thus, when between the two for our attention. Considerable experimen- back vowels are frequent in verse lines they become expres- tal research has shown that speech stimuli presented to the sive of mystic obscurity without requiring any mediation. right ear (hence to the left cerebral hemisphere) is better This reinforces the idea that certain metaphorical intuitions identified than when presented to the left ear (or right side of originate in a process deeper than cultural conditioning; and the brain). The reverse is true for melodies. From this we may furthermore, that certain culturally conditioned metaphori- speculate that the poetic mode has some way of overcoming cal conventions reflect specific underlying cognitive processes. this channel of separation and specialization and serves to equilibrate the hemispheres, When the acoustic signal is pro- Srnucrun.q,r Pnouorocv cessed in the non-speech mode (by the right hemisphere) we hear it as if we were hearing the sounds of music or natural rfro many people, some speech sounds seem more musical, noises. We attend away from overtone structure to tone color, I more emotional, or more beautiful than others. Such When the same signal is processed in the speech mode (by iudgments need to be anchored in a system of universals. To the left hemisphere) this tone color is suppressed.
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