A Study of Meaning Extensions in Pleasant Onomatopoeia in Cognitive Linguistics-With a focus on HOKUHOKU.ZOKUZOKU,SABASABA,and HUWAHUWA-

• Main Authors: Kanako Kaburagi, 蕪木香名子
• Other Authors: Ay Ling-Huang
• Format: Others
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/03318066717045895178

碩士 === 國立高雄第一科技大學 === 應用日語研究所 === 102 === The purpose of the present study is to investigate the semantic extension of certain classes of words; in this case, the semantic extension of onomatopoeias to expressions of joy. To accomplish this objective, I use the theoretical toolset provided by cognitive linguistics to draw an outline of the process of extension from the original prototypes to the new metaphorical meanings. I take as my primary case examples the Japanese onomatopoeias hokuhoku, zokuzoku, sabasaba, and huwahuwa. My results indicate that the process by which the original embodied sensory meanings of the onomatopoeias were extended to be used metaphorically, in this case in expressions of joy, can be identified and defined by an up-down image schema; also, the extension process of sabasaba can be defined through use of a quantitative image schema. 　I also brought native speakers and students of the Japanese language into the scope of the study by way of a survey to see the differences, if any, that exist between them in terms of their cognitive processes and state of language acquisition. In particular, my study surveyed advanced and intermediate students of Japanese in Taiwan; after analysis, I found that of the 22 Taiwanese students of Japanese, there was only one whose cognitive process was comparable to a native speaker of Japanese; all other students only recognized the original (non-extended) meanings of the onomatopoeias, and had not yet completed the cognitive mappings of the meanings to expressions of joy. In other words, my results show that the students had not yet gained a full understanding of onomatopoeia and the possible extended meanings; consequently, I have identified this as a difficult point in the study of Japanese as a foreign language. There still exist some places in my study, however, where more detailed numerical analysis may be done, such as in the survey data from Taiwanese learners of Japanese. It remains for subsequent studies to perform such analysis and the investigation of other related items. Also, based on my findings, investigation into the study and teaching methods employed by the students and their instructors surveyed in this study would be beneficial to making improvements in the learning of onomatopoeias and their extended meanings in Japanese. It is my opinion that there ought to be developments and improvements made to the teaching materials and learning environments provided for students of Japanese as a foreign language in Taiwan; this would give students a better opportunity to learn about onomatopoeia in Japanese in a more comprehensive manner. Keywords: Onomatopoeia, Embodiment, Sensory Language, Semantic Extension, Prototype, Metaphor, Image Schema