This research investigates sound symbolism: the relationship between particular speech sounds and perceived meanings. By analysing animal names in English, French, and Spanish, it examines whether consonants, vowels, and syllable stress correspond with characteristics such as size and danger, helping explain language evolution and potentially informing language learning and word creation.
2026
This thesis examines representations of “strangeness” in The Tempest and their historical roots in medieval travel writing and early colonial exploration. By analyzing how Shakespeare constructs fear and fascination toward unfamiliar places and peoples, the research argues that strangeness is not inherent, but psychologically and culturally produced.