Vanhatalo, Ulla; Tissari, Heli; Idström, Anna (2014). Revisiting the universality of Natural Semantic Metalanguage: A view through Finnish. SKY Journal of Linguistics, 27, 67-94. PDF (open access)
The Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) provides a method of semantic analysis that can be used for various tasks mainly in the field of linguistic research. A crucial part of the theory is the set of primes, minimal lexical units that are used to explicate words, cultural scripts and other concepts. Identifying the primes in a new language is an opportunity to reinforce and/or revisit the theory. The remarks presented in this paper result from the identification process of the Finnish exponents of the NSM primes. The goal of this paper is to direct attention to some fundamental aspects in the Natural Semantic Metalanguage theory, especially to the relation between the universal language-independent NSM concepts and the English-based NSM. A number of remarks are made on the general system of the primes, as the paper points out issues related to e.g. the number, selection and mutual hierarchy of the primes. The economy and logic of certain prime constructions and the argumentation behind allolexy are discussed as well.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
