Haser, Verena (2006). Wierzbicka’s Natural Semantic Metalanguage and cross-cultural understanding. LAUD Working Papers, Series A, General and Theoretical Papers, 659. PDF (open access)
Wierzbicka’s work on semantic primitives (henceforth abbreviated as NSM) presents one of the most intriguing and significant theories in linguistic semantics. Many definitions proposed within this framework are unrivalled for the way they illuminate the meaning of words and allow us to tease apart closely related concepts. NSM theory is not limited to linguistic concerns; accepting Wierzbicka’s general line of thought has important implications for philosophical semantics. Furthermore, her theory is surely of central concern to scholars interested in linguistic psychology.
In this essay I attempt to raise some questions that are prompted by i) a comparison between Wierzbicka’s approach and certain ideas familiar from modern philosophy of language (especially philosophy by Wittgenstein and some major exponents of his work) and ii) a case study that puts to the test Wierzbicka’s definition of game (as proposed in her Semantics: Primes and Universals, 1996). The ultimate goal of this article is to invite some response by adherents of NSM which might provide a detailed answer to some of the issues and objections raised in this article. Being fascinated by some aspects of the NSM project while harbouring some doubts concerning its application and the arguments motivating the approach, I hope that my observations might indirectly offer a modest contribution to the framework.
Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
