The Role of Iconicity in Expressing Sensory Perception

Abstract

This article explores the multifaceted role of iconicity in expressing sensory perception across various languages and cultural contexts. Iconicity, the property by which linguistic forms bear a resemblance to their meanings, has significant potential to communicate sensory experiences. Drawing on the works of international and Uzbek scholars, this study investigates how iconic forms – particularly onomatopoeic expressions, ideophones, and sound-symbolic words – enable speakers to express rich perceptual experiences, such as vision, hearing, taste, and tactile sensations. Methodologically, this research employs a comparative analysis of linguistic examples, ethnographic accounts, and experimental findings from published scientific studies. The results illustrate that iconicity operates as a cognitive bridge connecting linguistic structures to non-linguistic experiences of the world, highlighting that language is not just an abstract system of symbols but also a means of mimetically representing reality. These insights can inform further research in semiotics, cognitive linguistics, and cross-cultural communication.