Ideophones in Nepali: Perceptual Iconicity, Affective and Cognitive Expressiveness, and Implicational Hierarchy

This paper investigates the nature of Nepali ideophones which are a crucial component of the Nepali language. It teases out the previously unexplained and unexplored facets of Nepali ideophones from a clearer theoretical perspective. The main approach adopted to study Nepali ideophones is the implicational hierarchy for ideophonic systems of languages (Dingemanse 2012). Data is presented in tabular form, associating ideophones and their corresponding verbal or nominal matches. The main findings of the study are that the Nepali ideophones meet the implicational hierarchy as proposed by Dingemanse (2012). These ideophones cover and serve a wide range of linguistic and cognitive functions. Even there have been some attempts at the study of Nepali ideophones, this is the first time that these ideophones are presented with a clear theoretical perspective and the multifaced expressive richness they infuse in the language. Ideophones are special cases that enrich linguistic expressions. However, they have received little attention in Nepali academia. This study, for the first time, brings out the significance of the study and investigation of Nepali ideophones.