Investigate the semantic distinctions between the terms “神”and “仙”

Abstract

This research article aims to investigate the nuanced meanings of the words “神” and “仙” through an analysis of data extracted from the Chinese-Thai Dictionary《现代汉泰词典》 (2020) by Tianchai Eiamworamat. Employing the theoretical framework proposed by Zhang Daoxin (2014), from Jerome L. Packard's (2000) framework of compound word formation, this study delves into the semantic analysis of word meanings. 1) The study identified 95 compound words initiated by the character “神”, and 15 compound words initiated by the character “仙”. Among these, 56word 60 compound words with “神” (59.4%) are not closely related to their original meanings, while 7 word 8 compound words with “仙” (47.05%) are closely related to their original meanings. 2) For words with “神” as the leading character, the analysis revealed one basic meaning, six closely extended meanings (进引申义 jìn yǐnshēn yì), six distance extended meanings (远引申义 yuǎn yǐnshēn yì), and four target domains. Conversely, words with “仙” as the leading character exhibited one basic meaning, three closely extended meanings, one distance extended meaning, and one target domain.