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HomeDepartment of Language and Linguistic ScienceAbout usNews2025LLS researcher discusses sound symbolism with Michael Rosen on BBC Radio 4

LLS researcher discusses sound symbolism with Michael Rosen on BBC Radio 4

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Posted on Thursday 25 September 2025

Dr Catherine Laing appeared on 'Word of Mouth' to discuss her research into iconicity in early language development.

Dr Catherine Laing from the Department of Language and Linguistic Science was a guest on BBC Radio 4's "Word of Mouth" with presenter Michael Rosen. The episode, titled 'Crash Bang Wallop: The Sound of Words', was first broadcast on 11 September 2025.

During the programme, Dr Laing and Mr Rosen discussed the topic of iconicity, which is the relationship between the form and meaning of words. Their conversation focused on onomatopoeia, which are words that imitate sounds, such as "meow", and sound symbolism, where words sound like their meaning, like "rough" and "smooth".

The discussion was based on Dr Laing's research into why babies produce so many onomatopoeic words in their early language development. 

Listen to the episode on the BBC Sounds website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002j753