TUFS graduate student wins special mention at a multidisciplinary linguistics conference in Canada
December 17, 2024
Mr. Daiki Yoshitake, a 3rd year student in the Doctoral Program (currently on a leave of absence studying abroad in Belgium), gave a presentation at the VocUM, a multidisciplinary conference on language, held at the University of Montréal in Canada on Thursday, November 14th and Friday, November 15th, 2024, and won a special mention.
The title of the presentation was “Comprendre, c’est pouvoir prendre par l’intelligence : L’implicite intentionnel par l’usage métaphorique et la manipulation du sens”
(En: “To Comprehend is to Seize with Intelligence : Intentional Implicitness through the Metaphorical Use of Lexicon and Semantic Manipulation”).
Mr. Yoshitake's comment
While pursuing my master’s degree, I had the opportunity to participate in an exchange program at the University of Montréal. During that time, I attended VocUM, the multidisciplinary conference on language organized by the University of Montréal, as an audience member. This conference selects a theme each year, and this year’s theme was ? Langage et (dés)information? (“Language and (mis)information"). I presented my research under the title "Intentional Implicitness through the Metaphorical Use of Lexicon and Semantic Manipulation” as an exploration of “linguistic-level misinformation.”
Vocabulary inherently carries the potential for semantic change, but in ancient languages without normative polysemy, new usages were often regarded as innovative. In this regard, the metaphorical use of lexicon can involve a form of misinformation characterized by semantic ambiguity (implicitness on the part of the speaker). Communication, however, risks failing if the speaker’s true intent is not successfully conveyed to the listener, leading to misunderstandings. Through cognitive biases such as metaphorical and metonymic inference, new usages are contextualized to associate words with similar or semantically adjacent meanings, eventually clarifying their meanings. In this presentation, I demonstrated this phenomenon using the semantic change of the verb *comprendre* in French as a case study.
The conference featured 19 presentations, including keynote speeches, which provided insights into various aspects of “misinformation.” During my time as an exchange student, I had hoped that I might one day present at this conference. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to not only present but also receive the special mention this year. I plan to continue advancing my research as I work toward completing my doctoral dissertation.
