Yoon, Kyung Joo (2011). Theoretical and empirical review of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage theory: A tool for semantic analysis of cultural specificity. 인문학연구 [The Journal of Humanities], 19, 143-169.
Abstract:
This paper assesses the theoretical assumptions and principles of the NSM approach and its practicality as a semantic tool for explicating language-specific concepts.
By way of background, the author first presents a review of the literature on universal human concepts in general. She then introduces the methodological issues that are involved in cross-linguistic research aimed at testing the hypotheses that underpin the NSM approach in particular. She briefly summarizes some of its major empirical findings over the past few decades, showing that cross-linguistic investigations against typologically divergent languages are useful for understanding universal features of natural languages. Finally, she demonstrates the practicality of the metalanguage by presenting some examples of semantic analyses relying on NSM.
Rating:
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
