Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition
by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler
139 Phonetic Symbolism
The meaning conveyed by the sounds of words.
Words convey meaning based on their assigned definitions but also based on how they sound when spoken. The sounds of consonants and vowels convey basic concepts like size, gender, and aggression — and reinforce these concepts in words. While cross-cultural research of phonetic symbolism is ongoing, there is suggestive evidence that there are common sound-meaning associations across many languages.1
Consonant sounds with a constant flow of air — such as the letters s, f, v, z — are associated with smallness, femininity, and passivity. Consonant sounds where the air is blocked — like the letters p, k, t, b, g, d, hard c — are associated with largeness, masculinity, and aggression. ...
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