The Polysemic Interpretation of the Verb 打: A Semantic Analysis of Articles from Qiāndǎo Rìbào (《千岛日报》)

Abstract

Polysemy in semantic studies refers to a linguistic phenomenon in which a single word has multiple related meanings. In Mandarin, the verb 打 (dǎ) is a commonly encountered polysemous word in basic Mandarin language learning. This study aims to analyze the various meanings of the verb 打 (dǎ) using a qualitative approach, focusing on its contextual usage. Using the Qiandao Ribao (《千岛日报》) newspaper, edition of December 1, 2023, as the primary data source, this study identifies the semantic variations of 打 (dǎ) based on its collocations and surrounding context. The findings reveal that 打 (dǎ) has 19 diverse meanings, ranging from physical actions and communication to abstract expressions. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of polysemy in Mandarin and enriches insights into the cognitive processes involved in meaning interpretation in foreign language learning. It is hoped that this study will serve as a significant reference in the semantic course, particularly in analyzing polysemous verbs like 打 (dǎ), which will become an analytical study material for students.