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U.S. English-Speaking Children and Adults Exhibit a 'Gleam-Glum' Sound Symbolic Effect Linking Phonemic Vowel Sounds with Emotional Valence

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Title: U.S. English-Speaking Children and Adults Exhibit a 'Gleam-Glum' Sound Symbolic Effect Linking Phonemic Vowel Sounds with Emotional Valence
Language: English
Authors: Ye Li (ORCID 0000-0002-8317-7180), Christine S.-P. Yu (ORCID 0000-0001-6329-4825), Michael K. McBeath (ORCID 0000-0002-5428-2897), Viridiana L. Benitez (ORCID 0000-0003-3082-6287)
Source: Cognitive Science. 2026 50(4).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 27
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Adults, Children, Phonemes, Emotional Response, Language Acquisition, Language Usage, English, Comprehension, Linguistic Competence, Linguistic Input, Age Differences, Syntax
Geographic Terms: Arizona (Phoenix)
DOI: 10.1111/cogs.70215
ISSN: 0364-0213
1551-6709
Abstract: We tested a recently-found sound symbolic effect, the "gleam-glum effect," in which words with the [i]-phoneme (like "gleam") are perceived as emotionally more positive than matched words with the [Ʌ]-phoneme (like "glum"). We extend prior work and verify this effect using a novel online pseudoword-to-scene matching task, testing U.S. English-speaking adults (n = 105) and 5- to 7-year-old children (n = 52). Participants heard pairs of matched [i]- versus [Ʌ]-monosyllabic pseudowords (e.g., "zeem" versus "zum") and assigned them to cartoon scenes exhibiting contrasting emotional valence (positive versus negative). These results provide the first empirical evidence that the gleam-glum effect is robust across both young children and adults, with the effect magnitude somewhat less in children of this age compared to adults. Our findings confirm that the gleam-glum effect is already strong at an early age and holds promise of being an important mechanism for language comprehension, language use, and language learning.
Abstractor: As Provided
Notes: https://osf.io/yqd6g
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504381
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: U.S. English-Speaking Children and Adults Exhibit a 'Gleam-Glum' Sound Symbolic Effect Linking Phonemic Vowel Sounds with Emotional Valence
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  Data: English
– Name: Author
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ye+Li%22">Ye Li</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8317-7180">0000-0002-8317-7180</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Christine+S%2E-P%2E+Yu%22">Christine S.-P. Yu</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6329-4825">0000-0001-6329-4825</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Michael+K%2E+McBeath%22">Michael K. McBeath</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5428-2897">0000-0002-5428-2897</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Viridiana+L%2E+Benitez%22">Viridiana L. Benitez</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3082-6287">0000-0003-3082-6287</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Cognitive+Science%22"><i>Cognitive Science</i></searchLink>. 2026 50(4).
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 27
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Adults%22">Adults</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Children%22">Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phonemes%22">Phonemes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+Response%22">Emotional Response</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Acquisition%22">Language Acquisition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+Usage%22">Language Usage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English%22">English</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Comprehension%22">Comprehension</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Linguistic+Competence%22">Linguistic Competence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Linguistic+Input%22">Linguistic Input</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Age+Differences%22">Age Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Syntax%22">Syntax</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arizona+%28Phoenix%29%22">Arizona (Phoenix)</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1111/cogs.70215
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  Data: 0364-0213<br />1551-6709
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: We tested a recently-found sound symbolic effect, the "gleam-glum effect," in which words with the [i]-phoneme (like "gleam") are perceived as emotionally more positive than matched words with the [Ʌ]-phoneme (like "glum"). We extend prior work and verify this effect using a novel online pseudoword-to-scene matching task, testing U.S. English-speaking adults (n = 105) and 5- to 7-year-old children (n = 52). Participants heard pairs of matched [i]- versus [Ʌ]-monosyllabic pseudowords (e.g., "zeem" versus "zum") and assigned them to cartoon scenes exhibiting contrasting emotional valence (positive versus negative). These results provide the first empirical evidence that the gleam-glum effect is robust across both young children and adults, with the effect magnitude somewhat less in children of this age compared to adults. Our findings confirm that the gleam-glum effect is already strong at an early age and holds promise of being an important mechanism for language comprehension, language use, and language learning.
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  Data: As Provided
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  Data: https://osf.io/yqd6g
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1504381
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        Value: 10.1111/cogs.70215
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        PageCount: 27
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Children
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      – SubjectFull: Phonemes
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      – SubjectFull: Emotional Response
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      – SubjectFull: Language Acquisition
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      – SubjectFull: Language Usage
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      – SubjectFull: Linguistic Input
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      – SubjectFull: Age Differences
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      – SubjectFull: Syntax
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      – SubjectFull: Arizona (Phoenix)
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      – TitleFull: U.S. English-Speaking Children and Adults Exhibit a 'Gleam-Glum' Sound Symbolic Effect Linking Phonemic Vowel Sounds with Emotional Valence
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