IDEOPHONES WORLDWIDE
nThe classification of ideophones
remains under debate.
nThey have been defined very broadly in
the literature as anything with a
sound-symbolic element, in which
case they can be found in all major parts
of speech. For example, English verbs such as ‘gobble’ or ‘twinkle’
are sometimes treated as
ideophones
nIn this view, being ideophonic is more
a matter of conforming to a certain syllable
structure.
nHowever, in many languages, specific
words, which may or may not be
morphologically marked, fill a
slot that would usually be adverbial.