Iconicity in Word Learning and Beyond: A Critical Review.
Alan Ks Nielsen, Mark Dingemanse
PMID 32308121WHAT IT FOUND
Iconic words are easier to learn, but evidence that they help learn other words is weak.
They also aid communication and expression in adults, so therapy should value them for clarity and affect, not just as learning shortcuts.
Key findings
01There is robust evidence that iconic words are easier to learn, explaining their presence in early vocabulary.
02Evidence that learning iconic words helps learn non-iconic words is not currently robust.
03Iconic signs serve functions beyond learning, such as enhancing comprehension in adult communication.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review notes that many experimental studies use artificial pseudowords (like bouba/kiki) which may not reflect natural language complexity. There is significant cross-linguistic variation in the prevalence of iconic words (e.g., Japanese has more ideophones than English), meaning findings from one language may not generalize to others. The distinction between iconicity and systematicity (statistical regularities) is often blurred in previous research, making it hard to isolate the specific effect of resemblance.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the Max Planck Society and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that using sound-symbolic words in therapy will accelerate a child's overall vocabulary acquisition. The evidence supports that iconic words are easier to learn, but it does not show they help children learn non-iconic words faster.