This article is devoted to the topic “Semantic and Pragmatic Characteristics of the Lexical Unit Yabai in the Adjective Category” and analyzes the functional and pragmatic features of the adjectival lexical unit yabai in Japanese as they emerge in contextual usage. Language is a living system in constant motion, and its lexical units continuously change under the influence of social needs, socio-cultural factors, and communicative environments. In particular, units that are actively used in spoken discourse can develop new semantic and pragmatic layers within a relatively short period of time. The adjective yabai (やばい), which is widely used in modern Japanese, represents one of such dynamically evolving lexical units. Although this word was originally used with a negative connotation, its semantic range has significantly expanded in contemporary usage.

Japanese language, adjectives, yabai, semantics, communicative function, semantic ambiguity, linguistics, emotional evaluation, youth language, semantic extension

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