Images and movements elicited by onomatopoeia in infants in terms of physical expression activity experiment focusing on the characteristics/semantics of onomatopoeia

• Published in: Taiikugaku kenkyu (Japan Journal of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences) Vol. 65; pp. 35 - 52
• Main Authors: MURASE, Rumi, TERAYAMA, Yumi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Tokyo Japan Society of Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences 2020; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: nursery teacher; physical expression activity of infant; Semantics; teaching language
• ISSN: 0484-6710; 1881-7718
• DOI: 10.5432/jjpehss.19065

In physical expression activities for infants, onomatopoeia used by caregivers has a large impact. Therefore, there is a need to examine in detail the relationship between images and movements elicited by onomatopoeia. The purpose of this study was to reveal the relationship between images and movements from differences in the characteristics/semantics of onomatopoeia. The subjects of this study were 16 infants aged 5 or 6 years. Each infant was investigated for 6 types of onomatopoeia. For the experiment, spoken images and movements of the infants were all video-recorded and transcribed. From the results obtained, the following 3 points were suggested. 1. Onomatopoeia is generally easy for infants to imagine and respond to. However, some onomatopoeia is easy to imagine but difficult to respond to. 2. Differences and trends in images and movements lead to differences in the characteristics/semantics of onomatopoeia perceived by infants. 3. Three relationships of images and movements elicited by onomatopoeia in infants were considered. 1) “do”: the relationship of images and movements are represented by the verb 2) “become”: the relationship of images and movements are represented by identifying with something not myself 3) “be”: the relationship of images and movements are represented by condition or situation of something not myself. 　There finding might be useful for the way of speaking onomatopoeia to infants on physical expression activities.