합성어 형성의 동기 분석

Motivation in Compounds: [X+mat] Compounds in Korean

One of the main tenets of Cognitive Linguistics is that languages are motivational instead of being arbitrary. In Radden and Panther (2004), it is examined how the name of the tool screwdriver are formed in various Indo-European languages. Most languages use the object that the tool is used on and the means and purposes of the tool. The choice of the elements are not predictable but motivational. Some salient elements in an Idealized Cognitive Model of screwdriver participate in the compounding process. In order to see whether the same applies to metaphorical compounding, the paper examines how Korean mat ‘taste’ is combined with other nominals to form compounds. The result shows that the elements such as experiencer, food, main ingredients of food, side ingredients of food, tools used in making food, place and time are all participate in literal and metaphorical compounding. Through the case study of mat compounds, the paper reveals that metaphorical compounds utilize the same salient elements as literal ones.