ON THE VERB KIKOYU IN PREMODERN JAPANESE: SEMANTIC EXPANSION OF COMPREHENSION USAGE

In modern Japanese, the verb kikoeru denotes involuntary auditory perception. However, until the 19th century, it also conveyed “comprehension,” equivalent to the modern verb wakaru. This study elucidates the mechanisms behind the emergence of three types of comprehension: auditory comprehension usage, general comprehension usage, and conviction usage. Results indicate that auditory comprehension arises from inferential interpretation of perceived stimuli, realized through the cognitive process of simulation in the 10th century. General comprehension developed in the 13th century via superschematization of inference, while conviction usage emerged in the 17th century through instantiation of general comprehension usage in a synecdochic relationship.