Identifying the taste words and definition of taste words in Vietnamese dictionaries

Abstract

Taste words belong to the oldest and most basic lexical classes in the vocabulary of every language. However, establishing a table of taste words and defining them in explanatory dictionaries aren’t simple and exists shortcomings. The article raises the problems of identifying the taste words in Vietnamese and explaining their meanings in dictionaries. Based on dictionaries and languages in daily communication, our research gathered 34 lexical units belonging to the taste word group in Vietnamese. Therein, there are 4 single words at the primary level, expressing 4 fundamental tastes: sour, bitter, salty, sweet, and 30 derivative words expressing different nuances and levels of each basic taste. Using componential analysis, the article also shows the meaning structure of the taste word group, and on this basis, generalizes the structure of definitions of the taste words in the explanatory dictionaries.