Analysis of the Semantic Transparency and Opacity in Compound Nouns of Farsi with a Cognitive Approach

Compounding is one of the subjects، which have been always under research in the history of linguistic studies from different aspects. In the area of semantics of compounds، due to the principle of semantic compositionality that unites the meaning of components of a compound to reach out a compositional meaning، we find endocentric compounds with a semantic head. On the other hand، there are plentiful of compounds in a language، which have no semantic head and، consequently، no compositionality. Therefore، we find the referent of the compound out of it، which should be listed in lexicon and to be memorized. Exocentric compounds with no clear semantic head and no compositionality have opaque meaning. Based on the claims of Carin’s theory، which has a cognitive approach، we could explain that the reason that a compound is transparent or opaque in meaning is due to the existence or lack of a semantic relation. The very semantic relation that Carin’s theory recognizes as the key entity for interpretation is at the same time responsible for a compound being transparent or opaque. In endocentric compound، the relation existing between head and modifier creates the focal concept in the compound. In fact، by this semantic relation، we come to interpret noun compound even if we face with it for the first time. Having or not having a semantic relation for a compound is the key explanation behind the semantic transparency and opacity.