Exploring the nature of cumulativity in sound symbolism: Experimental studies of Pokémonastics with English speakers

There has been a dramatic rise of interest in sound symbolism, systematic associations between sounds and meanings. Despite this, one aspect that is still markedly under-explored its cumulative nature, i.e., when there are two or more with the same symbolic meaning, whether these effects add up not. These questions important to address, since they bear on general question how speakers take into account multiple sources evidence make linguistic decisions. Inspired by an accumulating body research cumulativity other patterns, experiments symbolism using Pokémon names were conducted native English. The tested types cumulativity: counting cumulativity, which holds if instances factor up, ganging-up different factors up. addressed patterns hold and, importantly, so, how. We found (1) three can show (2) coexist single system, (3) plausibly be considered linear, (4) sub-linear.