Cultural Meanings of ‘Small:’ Similar yet Different Semantic Networks of Diminutives in Thai and South Korean

Abstract

Lexemes denoting ‘small’ typically undergo a range of semantic or functional extensions either as free-standing lexical forms, or as weakly-grammaticalized derivational morphemes, or even fully grammatical forms. This research analyzes diminutive expressions in the two languages Thai and South Korean, following an extended ethnography of the two languages in each respective ethni0-linguistic context. Diminutives in these two languages have similarities in their source lexemes and certain developmental patterns along elegant conceptual networks. However, the two languages reveal intriguing differences in semantic extension patterns, i.e., most notably, the Thai extension pattern is ‘small therefore cute,’ whereas the South Korean extension pattern becomes one of ‘small therefore contemptible’.