The Polysemic Representation of the Verb /c ÌijÉn/ in Kurdish Based on Cognitive Approach

Parvini Rad, Zahra; Dehghan, Masoud; Korani, Akram

doi:10.48311/LRR.16.6.9

The Polysemic Representation of the Verb /c ÌijÉn/ in Kurdish Based on Cognitive Approach

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors

Zahra Parvini rad ¹

Masoud Dehghan ²

Akram Korani ³

¹ PhD Student in Linguistics, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of English Language and Literature and Linguistics, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of English Language Teaching and Linguistics, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran;

10.48311/LRR.16.6.9

Abstract

The issue of polysemy has been considered within cognitive approach by Iranian linguists in recent years. That’s because the authors have analyzed the simple form of the verb /ijən/ (i.e., going) in kalhori /kermanshaian Kurdish based on principled–polysemy approach proposed by Evans & Green in 2006. In this qualitative study, the data were collected through Kurdish speakers’ daily conversation and analyzed based on the mentioned approach in a descriptive-analytic way. Also, the authors used Kurdish speakers and their own linguistic intuition to approve the authenticity of the data. The results showed that the prototypical meaning of this verb was “GO” that has forty-five distinct meanings, such as “travel”, “drive”, “migrate”, “flow”, “set”, “finish”, “charge”, “send'', etc. in its own semantic clusters including six distinct semantic clusters. Finally, these forty-five distinct meanings along with their six semantic clusters were illustrated in a semantic network. Also, the findings showed that a favorable explanation of the polysemy of this verb in Kalhori Kurdish can be obtained based on the mentioned approach. The polysemy representation of this verb in Kalhori Kurdish can be useful for a better understanding of the polysemy of other verbs in Kurdish.
1. Introduction
Polysemy—the phenomenon whereby a single word acquires multiple, related meanings—has been reconceptualized in recent decades through the lens of cognitive linguistics. Far from being an accidental feature of language, polysemy is now understood as a structured and cognitively grounded process, shaped by human experience, conceptual metaphor, image schemas, and usage-based categorization. The Principled Polysemy Approach, developed by Tyler and Evans (2003) and elaborated by Evans and Green (2006), offers a systematic framework for identifying the prototypical sense of a word and tracing the emergence of peripheral meanings through radial networks. Within this framework, motion verbs such as “go” are of particular interest, as they often extend into abstract semantic domains like emotion, time, social interaction, and cognition. The Kalhori Kurdish verb /ijən/, typically glossed as “to go,” exemplifies this semantic expansion and serves as the focal point of the present study.
Spoken primarily in western Iran, the Kalhori dialect of Kurdish remains underrepresented in cognitive-semantic research. This study addresses that gap by analyzing the polysemous structure of the verb /ijən/ in naturalistic Kalhori discourse. Using a qualitative, descriptive-analytic methodology and drawing on both field data and native speaker intuition, the research applies the Principled Polysemy model to identify the verb’s core meaning and map out its forty-five derived senses within six distinct semantic clusters. These include Movement, Co-occurrence, Termination, Spatial Placement, Analogy, and Metaphorical Extension. By modeling this semantic network, the study not only provides empirical support for cognitive linguistic theory but also offers practical insights for Kurdish lexicography, translation, and language teaching—highlighting how a single verb can reflect the rich conceptual structure of a speech community.

Research Questions
What are the distinct meanings associated with the simple form of the verb /ijən/ in Kalhori Kurdish?
How does the Principled Polysemy Approach account for the semantic network and prototype structure of this verb?
What cognitive and contextual mechanisms are responsible for the formation of the verb’s semantic clusters?

2. Literature Review
In recent decades, polysemy has been reconceptualized within cognitive linguistics as a systematic and motivated phenomenon, rather than an accidental lexical irregularity. Pioneering work by scholars such as Lakoff (1987), Langacker (1987), and Evans & Green (2006) emphasized the role of embodied experience, image schemas, and conceptual metaphor in meaning extension. The Principled Polysemy Approach, introduced by Tyler and Evans (2003), provides a framework for identifying a word’s prototypical sense and mapping out related meanings through radial categorization.
Numerous studies in Persian and Kurdish have adopted this framework. For example, Afrashi and Jokandan (1393) analyzed the polysemy of the verb “شنیدن” (to hear), and Afrashi and Asgari (1396) explored the semantic network of “دیدن” (to see), both confirming the role of cognitive mechanisms in meaning derivation. Rahmatinejad et al. (1398) identified 44 semantic templates for the verb “گفتن” (to say), while Amozadeh et al. (1395) mapped the radial meanings of “گرفتن” (to take) in Persian. In Kurdish studies, Dehghan and Afshari (1397) examined the preposition /ʔæra/ in Kalhori Kurdish, revealing structured meaning clusters based on the same approach.
These studies collectively support the effectiveness of cognitive models in explaining lexical polysemy. The present research builds on this foundation by applying the Principled Polysemy Approach to the Kalhori Kurdish verb /ijən/, aiming to uncover its structured semantic network and contribute to the broader field of cognitive lexical semantics in Iranian languages.

3. Methodology
This study employs a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach within the framework of Cognitive Linguistics, specifically the Principled Polysemy Approach (Evans & Green, 2006). The primary goal is to analyze the semantic network of the Kalhori Kurdish verb /ijən/ (“to go”) by identifying its prototypical and extended meanings. Data were collected from natural spoken discourse, including everyday conversations, media, and written texts used by Kalhori Kurdish speakers. The researchers, being native speakers, also utilized linguistic intuition to ensure the authenticity and contextual appropriateness of the data. Each instance of the verb was analyzed in context to identify its meaning and grouped into one of six semantic clusters. The meanings were then modeled in a semantic network, illustrating how they radiate from the core sense. This method allows for a systematic understanding of polysemy in a real-world linguistic setting.

4. Results
The findings of this study reveal that the Kalhori Kurdish verb /ijən/ exhibits an exceptionally rich polysemous structure, comprising forty-five distinct meanings organized into six primary semantic clusters: Movement, Co-occurrence, Termination, Spatial Placement, Analogy, and Metaphorical Extension. At the core of this network lies the prototypical meaning of “to go,” from which all other senses are systematically derived via cognitive mechanisms such as conceptual metaphor, image schemas, and metonymy. These derived meanings span a wide range of conceptual domains—from concrete physical actions like “travel,” “migrate,” and “pour,” to abstract and metaphorical uses such as “resemble,” “pass away,” “become angry,” “enroll,” and “disappear.” Notably, the Movement and Metaphorical clusters demonstrated the highest frequency and semantic productivity, suggesting a strong grounding of the verb’s extensions in both embodied experience and culturally shaped conceptualizations.
These findings underscore the applicability and explanatory power of the Principled Polysemy Approach in modeling lexical semantics in non-Indo-European and under-documented languages such as Kalhori Kurdish. By offering a detailed semantic network grounded in naturally occurring data and native speaker intuition, the study contributes to the broader literature on cognitive lexical semantics and supports the claim that polysemy is not arbitrary but conceptually motivated and cognitively principled. Beyond its theoretical contribution, the research has practical implications for language pedagogy, translation studies, and lexicography, particularly in multilingual contexts where semantic precision is crucial. A nuanced understanding of the diverse meanings of /ijən/ can aid educators and translators in conveying more accurate interpretations and assist Kurdish language learners in navigating meaning variation more effectively. Moreover, the methodological framework applied here can be replicated for other verbs and grammatical categories, thus enriching the descriptive and analytical resources available for Kurdish and similar languages

Keywords

Cognitive Approach

Principled-polysemy approach

Evans

Green

verb

Kurdish

20.1001.1.23223081.1401.0.0.228.0

Subjects

Semantics

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