Developing Associations to the Sounds of a Name

Sound symbolism refers to associations between language sounds and certain perceptual or semantic properties. One well-studied example is the maluma/takete effect, in which individuals tend to associate round-sounding nonwords like maluma with round shapes, and spiky-sounding nonwords like takete with spiky shapes. This phenomenon suggests that certain sounds are perceived as better suited to particular visual shapes, and it provides a means by which language can be non-arbitrary. Research has demonstrated that sound symbolism further extends from nonwords to real first names, a phenomenon known as name sound symbolism. In addition to phonological cues, research on name sound symbolism reveals an association between a name's perceived gender and shape: femaleness is associated with roundness, whereas maleness is associated with spikiness. However, previous studies have focused on adults, leaving open the question of whether children also show these associations. The present study examined the emergence of name sound symbolism in children, considering individual differences such as age and language ability. Results indicated that adults exhibit stronger sensitivity to both name sound symbolism and gender-shape associations than children. Although the gender-shape association is present in 5- to 7-year-olds, name sound symbolism may emerge at a later age. Our results point to the possibility that the presence of semantic meanings or sociolinguistic information like gender may compete with phonological cues when processing real words, thus attenuating the sound symbolic effect. These findings have important implications on how sound symbolism operates in nonwords versus in real words.