Thank you for participating in this research study on the perception and interpretation of musical language.
Instructions
For each word in bold, rate its degree of metaphoricity from 1 to 5, where 1 means not metaphorical and 5 means strongly metaphorical.
Consider whether the word is being used to describe music or sound through a meaning that is more basic in another domain (for example, a physical, spatial, visual, tactile, thermal, bodily or psychological domain).
A more basic meaning is not necessarily the most frequent meaning or the dictionary's first definition. Consider the meaning of the word in its particular context and compare it with a more concrete or bodily grounded meaning.
Feel free to use a translator or a dictionary if you're uncertain about the meaning of some of the words.
Example:
Consider the expression “icy sound”.
The adjective icy has a basic meaning related to the physical domain: extremely cold or covered in ice. When it is used to describe a sound, it is applied to a different domain. The sound is not literally cold or covered in ice; instead, the adjective may suggest qualities such as coldness, sharpness or emotional distance.
In this context, icy is used metaphorically because its more basic meaning is transferred to the domain of sound.
Do not assume that a word is metaphorical simply because it describes music. Established musical terminology, evaluative terms (e.g beautiful) and literal acoustic descriptions may receive low scores.
If you are uncertain, use the middle of the scale rather than forcing a clear-cut decision.
There are no right or wrong answers. We are interested in your personal perception and interpretation of the expressions.
The questionnaire should take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.
Thank you for your time and contribution!
There are 35 questions in this survey.
