On the Semantic Opacity of Compound Nouns in the Jeonnam Dialect

This paper discusses the semantic opacity of compound nouns in the Jeonnam dialect, which refers to the difficulty of deducing the meanings of compound nouns based solely on the meanings of their two constituent morphemes. Despite the semantic opacity exhibited by some compound nouns, this study explores the associations between the morphemes and the compound nouns from the perspectives of shape, attribute, function, and sensation similarities. Semantic opacity implies that the meanings of the constituent parts do not always carry over to the combined form. Similarity, which serves as a mechanism for explaining metaphors that expand the meaning of language or form polysemous words, is akin to the concept of semantic opacity in metaphorical compound nouns such as “thorn seat.” This establishes that similarity can also be a mechanism explaining the semantic opacity found in metaphorical compound nouns. Compound nouns with semantic opacity are presented in cases where the meaning of N1 is opaque, as in “red bean rice cake,” the meaning of N2 is opaque, as in “cow’s stomach,” or both N1 and N2 are opaque. Analysis of these nouns reveals external similarities in form or shape, as well as similarities in intrinsic attributes or properties. The lexical functions or sensory similarities such as visual or tactile aspects are also explored. Compound nouns with semantic opacity exhibit similarities in shape, attributes, functions, and sensations. These nouns often combine elements familiar to speakers of the Jeonnam dialect, such as animals, plants, agricultural tools, and other tools, reflecting the experiences of the dialect speakers.