Have you ever thought of a sound, a colour, or a shape, and automatically realised that each of these elements belong to a certain classification, such as Kiki or Bouba? In other words, how does a triangle sound, for instance? Kiki? Bouba? The same phenomenon arises, for example, when imagining a rounded, curved, or soft shape. A completely different reaction occurs when you picture a sharp form or hear a strident sound.
What makes sharp angles feel sharp to the ear? Why does something rounded seem to echo softness in sound? The Kiki and Bouba phenomenon captivates because it reveals a hidden relationship between our senses. This means that, regardless of cultures and languages, people tend to associate angular shapes with "Kiki" and soft, rounded shapes with "Bouba." The research is still ongoing, as exceptions and new discoveries continue to emerge. Brief words: These are intuitive associations suggested by our perceptions and inner thoughts.
I once read, Somewhere on internet (because I've lost the reference and place where I took this from but I cannot omit it now that I know this beautiful example) that kiki and bouba phonomenon could be examplified like thinking on the crackling "K" in kiki —it cuts through the air like kind of similar to the triangle cut through space or something over those lines— while thinking on the contrast, for instance: letter "B" and "O" of bouba can easily be associated with the soothing. You need to even roll off the tongue as effortlessly as a circle completes itself.
The bases and theory behind (and before) kiki and bouba concept
The term ideasthesia or “sensing concepts” developed by neuroscientist Danko Nikolić ,arises from the Ancient Greek words idea (for concept) and aesthesis (for sensation). Hence … the term ideasthesia or "sensing concepts”. Ideasthesia has been explored from the perspective of a subject’s experience of visual art. ideasthesia is examined from a practice-led perspective, investigating the balance between idea and sensation as it applies to creative writing practice. (Nikolić, 2016, as in is cited on Prendergast, 2022, p. 3) For a better understanding, we can observe the use of ideasthesia in marketing theory and how it is employed to attract consumers. For example, some colors persuade consumers to stimulate their appetite, while others induce a sense of calm, such as blue.
Symbolism and phonology theory
In the article Sound symbolism and theoretical phonology writen by Shinohara & Kawahara (2016) they used nonce word stimuli to explore the judgment of size associated with five different vowels, [i], [e], [a], [o], and [u], targeting speakers of Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. They found that speakers of all languages judged [a] to be larger than [i], hinting at the universality of this pattern (though see Diffloth 1994); on the other hand, Japanese speakers judged [o] to be larger than [a], whereas Chinese and Korean speakers showed the opposite pattern, and English speakers did not show a substantial difference between the two vowels.
This means that human mind is likely habituated to the association of sound symbolism through the perception of, maybe for instance, the shape of rounded lips which create an O figure, or a B figure. And this influences in the sensation of non touchable concepts. But it still remains in constant research due to exceptions as said before.
In the above image it appears people would normally pair shapes with consistent patterns probably related to cognition, sensory perception, and ideasthesia. It suggests some sort of connection to the phenomenon of sound symbolism, where certain sounds evoke specific perceptual qualities. Then, there this shapes that include pointed, curved, spiral forms, and zigzag lines. In the column of words, pairs of invented terms (nonce words, non existing words which evoke particular sounds, such as "Kejiki/Bouba," "Goga/Titeji," or "Tʃikii/Mahuma."
As a mean of ilustration one can notice the evolution of this phenomenon research though the years since it was first addresed. It would be important to highlight the original terms coined, the maluma and taketa effect. As can be observed, the topic is broad, extensive, and worthy of exploration. As a linguist, I am profoundly captivated by this subject.
Finally, research has shown that correlations between visual shapes and sounds seem to be universal over decades, indicating that some perceptual characteristics are intrinsic and unrelated to language. The significance of this effect has been demonstrated by historical tests, ranging from the pioneers of the 1920s to current studies in disciplines including child development, linguistics, and cognitive psychology. The Kiki-Bouba phenomena has unrealized potential that continues to enthrall the scientific world, as demonstrated by the terms and findings of these investigations. The way that this subject questions our preconceptions of language and perception and invites us to investigate fresh avenues for understanding at the nexus of science and the humanities really interests me as a linguist.
This is an awesome and amazing example of how people associate specific sounds with visual shapes, being the case of the sound "Kiki" with angular shapes and the "Bouba" with softer and rounded shapes. While it has been studied since the 1920s, its relevance continues to grow in research on cognition and development. I would like to invite everyone—including FWW— to discover and explore this intriguing phenomenon, which not only challenges our ideas about language and perception but also opens new pathways for understanding how we process the world around us.
References:
Prendergast, C. (2022). Ideasthetic imagining. TEXT Special Issue, 68, 3-XX. Australian Association of Writing Programs. https://doi.org/10.52086/001c.57576
Kawahara, S. (2016). Sound symbolism and theoretical phonology. Language and Linguistic Compass. Keio University.
Shukla, A. (año). The Kiki-Bouba paradigm: where senses meet and greet. Invited Review Article. Cognitive Psychologist. Retrived from https://indianmentalhealth.com/pdf/2016/vol3issue3/Invited_Review_Article_1.pdf
