The images of Japanese onomatopoeia: A comparison of ratings using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the semantic differential method

Images of “seion” (unvoiced sound), “dakuon” (voiced sound), and “handakuon” (semi-voiced sound) in Japanese onomatopoeia were investigated by using two methods: the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and the semantic differential (SD). Undergraduate students (n=25) completed the six kinds of IATs and SD questionnaires related to the images. The results indicated that “dakuon” was evaluated as being more dynamic and heavier, and “seion” and “handakuon” were evaluated as being more static and lighter by both the IAT and SD methods. However, “seion” was evaluated as being more static and lighter than “handakuon” by the IAT, whereas “handakuon” was evaluated as being more static and lighter than “seion” by the SD method. The differences in evaluation by the two methods are discussed.