An underived noun can be directly borrowed, as with “lion” for a brave person. With verbs, derived adjectives, and other dependent forms, the transferred meaning is analyzed at the level of its underlying action or concept and then reflected in the derived form.
This is the basis of derivative (tabaʿiyyah) metaphor. In “the situation spoke,” conveying information is represented through speaking. The semantic transfer concerns the concept of speech and its expression through a verb.
Naming a verb as metaphorical is incomplete without identifying both the transferred meaning and its derivational connection.