English Explanatory Dictionary

bouba/kiki effect

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A non-arbitrary mapping between speech sounds and the visual shape of objects.

Pronunciation

/ˌbubə ˈkiki ɪˌfɛkt/ /ˌbubə ˈkiki əˌfɛkt/

Word forms

bouba/kiki effect the bouba/kiki effect bouba–kiki effect kiki/bouba effect kiki–bouba effect

Etymology

Bouba and kiki were the pseudowords used in a 2001 experiment on this topic, carried out by Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Edward Hubbard. See picture.

Related words

phonetic symbolism
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