abstractWhile speculations on form–meaning resemblances in language go back millennia, the experimental study of iconicity is only about a century old. Here we take stock of experimental work on iconicity and present a double special issue with a diverse set of new contributions. We contextualise the work by introducing a typology of approaches to iconicity in language. Some approaches construe iconicity as a discrete property that is either present or absent; others treat it as involving semiotic relationships that come in kinds; and yet others see it as a gradient substance that comes in degrees. We show the benefits and limitations that come with each of these construals and stress the importance of developing accounts that can fluently switch between them. With operationalisations of iconicity that are well defined yet flexible enough to deal with differences in tasks, modalities, and levels of analysis, experimental research on iconicity is well equipped to contribute to a comprehensive science of language.

中文翻译：

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象似性的解释：语言形式意义相似性的实验方法

摘要虽然关于语言形式意义相似性的推测可以追溯到几千年前，但对象似性的实验研究只有大约一个世纪的历史。在这里，我们盘点了关于象似性的实验工作，并提出了一个具有多种新贡献的双重特刊。我们通过引入语言中的象似性方法的类型学来对工作进行语境化。一些方法将象似性解释为存在或不存在的离散属性。其他人则将其视为涉及各种符号关系；还有一些人将其视为以度数表示的梯度物质。我们展示了每种解释带来的好处和限制，并强调开发可以在它们之间流畅切换的帐户的重要性。