A semantic examination of 'DAKE' in Japanese

Abstract

DAKE is an extremely abstract word, whose meaning seems to vary considerably from example to example. Sometimes it is translated as 'only', 'just', or 'nothing but', while in other contexts it is interpreted to mean 'as much as...' or 'as large an amount as ...'. In yet other examples DAKE is well translated by a proportional expression such as 'the more ... the more'. Finally, there are cases where it seems almost impossible to determine the semantic input of DAKE at all. In this paper examples containing DAKE are categorized into four basic types based on semantic as well as syntactic grounds. These categories are useful in systematically examining the seemingly haphazard occurrences of DAKE In natural sentences, including those which have generally been treated as fixed expressions which cannot be semantically decomposed. In the light of this classification, it is proposed that there is a single, fundamental concept underlying every instance of the use of DAKE. This concept could be better explained as DAKE's semantic function rather than its meaning. This semantic function conjures up the notion of a sliding scale, beginning at zero, on which the elements which DAKE modifies (the quantities, things and propositions) are located. As well as proposing this basic semantic function, this paper also observes the factors involved in yielding the diverse interpretations of expressions containing DAKE. These are: the inherent semantic nature of the components other than DAKE; the syntactic environment of the expression; and the context of the entire utterance.