A study of the accessibility feature and transcategorial expansion of the “daga” series

This study examines the Korean “daga” series from a cognitive-linguistic perspective. All forms share the schematic meaning of “accessibility,” comprising [+progressivity] and [+intentionality]. Drawing on Johnson’s PATH schema and Robert’s theory of polygrammaticalization, the study demonstrates how this feature is consistently foregrounded across forms and extends across and beyond grammatical categories. The connective ending highlights progressivity, the particle “daga” and “-eodaga” emphasize intentionality, and the compound verbs integrate both. These findings indicate that the grammaticalization of the “daga” series preserves and expands a cognitively grounded meaning rather than a result of mere semantic bleaching.