Peripheral verbs in the meaning of movement in the Khakass language: semantics and functioning

Abstract

The article analyses the functionality and semantics of the Khakass expressive verbs being on the periphery of the lexico-semantic group of movement. These verbs are common for native speakers’ everyday speech and acquire the meaning of movement when used in a particular context. Their semantics is complex, with emotional, evaluative and figurative elements intersecting and overlapping with each other. The meaning of movement can be acquired in different ways. Firstly, verbs with the meaning of behavior can combine with verbs of movement. Secondly, polysemous verbs can be combined with dependent lexemes of locative semantics. Lastly, onomatopoeic verbs in secondary lexical and semantic versions can be formed by adding the forced voice affix -t-. All these functionalsemantic and grammatical properties contribute to the transition to the category of expressives denoting the subject’s figurative movement. Almost all verbs expressing the subject’s movement in their secondary lexical and semantic versions originate from verbs with neutral semantics. The expressiveness in certain word-formation and combinational models is lexically motivated, with a significant focus on imagery. Despite being frequently used, many of these verbs are missing in lexicographical sources, and for those that are listed, no information on their seme of “movement” is provided. The situation is complicated by contextual ambiguity of expressive words. Given that the abundance of expressive vocabulary in everyday conversation indicates a reliable native language proficiency and guarantees the preservation and development of the Khakass language, further lexicographic projects should take into account all the semantic and expressive nuances.