Is there a place for creativity in onomatopoeia-formation?

The purpose of the paper is to fill existing gaps in research by examining the role of divergent thinking abilities of language users, that is, their creative potential, in the formation of onomatopoeia. This link has not yet been considered in the literature, probably because it is generally assumed that onomatopoeia arises through mere imitation. However, it is argued that onomatopoeia formation is a much more complex phenomenon, and that creative potential, in terms of divergent thinking abilities, is one of several factors influencing this process. In the first part of the procedure, the concept of divergent thinking was evaluated using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) on four scores: Originality, Fluency, Flexibility, and Elaboration. Next, we employed a task involving the imitation of two sound events - Rain and Phone vibration -through written notation using the Slovak alphabet. The results are analyzed at three levels of generalization regarding five basic parameters of onomatopoeia formation, comprising the phonic realization of the initial (onset) position, transition, and final position (coda) of an onomatopoeic word, vowel-consonant lengthening, and iconic repetition. The results showed that four divergent thinking abilities were not linked to the realization of the initial position, the final position, the transition, or the presence vs. absence of lengthening, in terms of the occurrence of a dominant voiceless sibilant fricative/voiced fricative vs. alternative sounds, voiced vs. voiceless consonants, or consonant vs. vowel. While the results do not support the hypothesized link between divergent thinking and the formation of onomatopoeia, the analysis revealed some promising trends, including an implied link between elaboration and repetition, and between originality and the occurrence of consonants, warranting future investigation. The present study offers valuable insights into the limited role of creative potential in onomatopoeia formation, which contrasts with word-formation, where the role of divergent thinking abilities has been supported in previous research. Implications are discussed.