Dr. CHAN Kin WingChow, Ka WaiKa WaiChow2026-06-262026-06-262025Chan, K. W., & Chow, K. W. (2 Jul 2025). Exploring sound symbolism: Do food names reflect texture and size? an empirical study using Cantonese. 31st Annual Conference of the International Association of Chinese Linguistics (IACL-31), Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11861/27774The debate over sound symbolism versus arbitrariness is central in linguistics. While previous research has primarily focused on Western languages, this study extends the inquiry to Cantonese, investigating whether sound symbolism is conventional in this tonal language. We examine the relationship between phonetic features of food brand names— consonants, vowels, and tones—and their associated shapes, sizes, and textures.<br> An experiment with 50 native Hong Kong Cantonese speakers was conducted in 2024-25, comprising three tasks: (i) Food Renaming, (ii) Image Matching, and (iii) Name Evaluation. These tasks were designed to reveal preferred phonetic features, assess phonetic texture links, and evaluate perceptions of texture and size based on hypothetical names. Results showed that participants preferred names with /m/, /l/, and back vowels for soft foods, and /t/, /d/, and front vowels for crispy foods. Higher tones were consistently used for smaller portions. The matching and evaluation tasks further reinforced the association between phonetics and food attributes.<br> These findings suggest that sound symbolism is present in Cantonese, mirroring patterns observed in Western languages (Klink, 2000; Jurafsky, 2014). This supports the idea that phonetic symbolism may have universal aspects across languages. The study contributes to the ongoing debate between naturalism and conventionalism in linguistics and offers insights for fields such as marketing and psychology, illustrating how phonetic elements can influence consumer perceptions of food products.enCantoneseFood NamesPhonetic FeaturesSound SymbolismTexture and SizeConference Paper