Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is concerned with grammatical properties of mimetic words in Japanese, a special class of words whose forms/sounds and meanings are related by iconicity or through sound symbolism. It analyses of morphosyntax and the semantics of mimetics. The book examines acquisition of mimetics both in first language and second language (L2). It outlines the prototype-categorial nature of mimetics, focusing on their grammatical constructions and aspectual semantics. The book provides the role of L2 speakers’ first language in the use of mimetics in Motion event descriptions. It also examines Japanese-speaking children’s use of mimetics, and argues that children use bare mimetics as Root Infinitive Analogues, a default verb form that young children are found to use across many languages. The book describes a longitudinal study of the use of mimetics and gesture in a Dutch-speaking learner of Japanese.