Semantic Extensions of the Verb “dasu” from a Cognitive Linguistic Perspective An analysis of Usage on Twitter

Abstract

The Japanese verb 「出す」 (dasu) is a highly polysemous word. This study aims to analyze the semantic extension patterns and the underlying cognitive mechanisms that contribute to its polysemy. We collected a sample of 300 examples of 「出す」 from Twitter (now X) between 2018 and 2022. The findings reveal four primary patterns of semantic extension from its prototypical meaning; 1) Agent-Caused Motion to Non-Agent-Caused Motion: This pattern involves a shift from a motion event with a clear agent to one where the agent is absent, facilitated by contextual inference, 2) Concrete to Abstract Motion: This pattern extends the meaning from a concrete object (animate/inanimate) with a physical path to an abstract entity with a virtual path, driven by metaphor, 3) Manual to Non-Manual Control: This pattern shows a shift from events requiring manual control to those that do not, employing both metaphor and metonymy, and 4) Intentional to Non-Intentional Events: This pattern involves a change from events with an agent's intention to spontaneous events without it, primarily through inference. These extension patterns are complex, blending physical and abstract meanings through a combination of metaphor, metonymy, and inference. The findings provide valuable insights for contrastive linguistics, Japanese language pedagogy, and Japanese-Thai translation.