The conceptual taxonomy of the lexicon of Turkey Turkish: Adjectives

This study aims to systematically identify the role of adjective-functioning words in Turkish within mental and cultural structures by applying a meaning-based conceptual classification. Using a qualitative research design, the data were drawn from the 12th edition of the Türkçe Sözlük (Turkish Dictionary) published by the Turkish Language Association. Document analysis was used as the data collection method, and content analysis was applied for interpretation. A total of 18,018 adjective-functioning meanings were classified according to the 8th version of the Roget-style conceptual classification system. Findings show that adjectives predominantly cluster in human-centered categories such as "Mind and Thoughts," "Body and Senses," and "Behavior and Will." At the subcategory level, prominent concepts include "Tools and Machines," "Clothing," "Food," and "Animals and Insects." Additionally, adjectives labeled as figurative, archaic, colloquial, dialectal, special, or humorous/ironic were mostly concentrated in conceptual areas related to social values, cultural norms, and emotional tendencies. These findings demonstrate that adjectives in Turkish not only serve grammatical functions but also act as carriers of mental representations, cultural meanings, and social perceptions. Accordingly, the study offers a theoretical basis for lexicographical and conceptual linguistic research and provides practical insights for fields such as vocabulary analysis, language teaching, and natural language processing, emphasizing the broader significance of concept-based classification of adjectives in understanding the cognitive and cultural dimensions of language.