Iconicity in Haitian Creole: A Study on Onomatopoeic Aspect of Bird Names

This study explores the onomatopoeic aspect of bird names in Haitian Creole, highlighting the significant role of sound-symbolic associations in the evolution and lexical creation within creole languages. It examines a corpus of nineteen Haitian creole ornithonyms formed by onomatopoeia imitating the bird vocalization. The research reveals a high degree of iconicity in Haitian Creole bird names, highlighting the language’s capacity to generate ornithonyms through specific sound symbolism relation, morphological flexibility, and reduplication. The study also uncovers the distinctive historical and socio-linguistic background of creole languages that raises an environment conducive to generating a new lexicon deeply rooted in sound symbolism. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the relationship between sound and meaning in creole language, enriching our appreciation of the diversity and expressiveness of human languages evolution.