arXiv:2603.17306v3 Announce Type: replace Abstract: A foundational assumption in linguistics holds that sound-meaning relations are largely arbitrary. Here we show that this assumption fails at the level of individual phonemes: each English phoneme carries a structured, multidimensional semantic profile that is recoverable from text, perceived across languages, and grounded in articulation. Three large language models independently detected consistent semantic structure across nine perceptual dimensions in 220 pairwise letter contrasts. Native English speakers (N = 93) confirmed these associat
This research leverages recent advancements in large language models to uncover semantic structure at a foundational linguistic level, a task previously difficult to quantify with traditional methods.
This finding challenges a foundational assumption in linguistics and could lead to new avenues for understanding language acquisition, communication, and the very nature of thought, with implications for AI.
The understanding of sound-meaning relationships shifts from largely arbitrary to systematically structured at the phonemic level, suggesting a deeper, inherent connection between sound and meaning.
- · Linguistics researchers
- · AI language model developers
- · Cognitive scientists
- · Arbitrary sign theory proponents
This research provides empirical evidence for systematic semantic structure in individual phonemes.
It could inform the design of more robust and human-like AI language models capable of deeper semantic understanding.
This might eventually lead to breakthroughs in understanding pre-linguistic cognition and potential universal semantic primitives.
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Read at arXiv cs.CL