# Ding-dong theory Ding-dong theory, proposed by Karl Wilhelm Heyse, speculates that language originated as imitations of naturally occurring sounds.[^1] The idea is that all things have their own resonance (this is true, as far as I understand physics) and that humans have echoed these resonances with their speech.[^2] It's kinda like onomatopoeia. It reminds me of that sociology experiment on the words [bouba and kiki](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TDIAObsqcs). This theory is not considered seriously anymore, but it does bear some use to a poet. It also has implications for the words we use to describe sound, which I realized based on the advice to [[Use vowel and consonant sounds to help you identify frequencies]]. A reminder: [[All models are wrong, but some are useful]]. [^1]: [[A Poetry Handbook]] pg. 20 [^2]: [ding-dong theory - Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ding-dong_theory)