1195. This week, we talk to Dr. Maria Loconsole from the University of Padua about her research into the bouba-kiki effect, the near-universal tendency to associate round shapes with "bouba" sounds and spiky shapes with "kiki" sounds. We look at what her experiments with newly hatched chicks reveal about whether this association predates language entirely.

"Matching sounds to shapes: Evidence of the bouba-kiki effect in naive baby chicks"

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The bouba-kiki effect in baby chicks, with Dr. Maria Loconsole

Grammar Girl

The bouba-kiki effect in baby chicks, with Dr. Maria Loconsole