Browsing results for Aesthetics

(2021) Spanish – Aesthetics

Published on August 15, 2021. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Romero-Trillo, Jesús. (2021). The good, the bad… and the ugly? The conceptualization of aesthetics in Spanish. International Journal of Language and Culture 8(1): 147–168

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00039.rom

 

Abstract:

The present article describes the conceptualization of aesthetics in Spanish through the analysis of the two prototypical terms that describe positive and negative sensory appreciation, i.e., “bonito” (beautiful) and “feo” (ugly). Following a mixed-approach methodology combining Natural Semantic Metalanguage and Corpus Pragmatics, the article compares the use of these adjectives in spoken and written language, analyzes their realization in the corpora under analysis, provides the explications that support their poly- semy, and describes their distribution in different contexts. The final part of the paper is devoted to the comparison of the use of these adjectives with their counterparts in English, as evidenced by another paper in this special issue.

 


Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2021) Danish – Aesthetics

Published on August 15, 2021. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Levisen, Carsten. (2021). Pæn, flot, dejlig, and lækker : A lexical anthropology of Danish folk aesthetics.  International Journal of Language and Culture 8(1): 14–34

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00033.lev

 

Abstract:

This paper examines the Danish language of aesthetics from the perspective of four untranslatable adjectives: pæn, flot, dejlig, and lækker. These words are frequent and salient in everyday discourses, and as such they shed light on Danish “folk” conceptions. From the perspective of Lexical Anthropology and NSM Semantics, each of the words are explored and explicated in order to shed light on the ways in which Danish discourse organize positive aesthetic experiences. Sensitive to polysemy, and the variety of lexicogrammatical frames in which the words occur, the paper provides a high-resolution analyses of the “something ADJ frame” which enables discourses of design, food, and art. Based on lexical semantic evidence, the paper locates two themes in Danish discourse: “aesthetic normality” and “ordinary hedonism” which seem to act as cognitive axes around which discourses revolve. The paper argues that words hold the key to understanding the diversity of aesthetic cultures, and that untranslatables in particular, allow for a deep emic understanding of how local configurations of seeing, feeling, touching, and thinking are constituted.

 


Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2021) English – Aesthetics

Published on August 15, 2021. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Gladkova, Anna, & Romero-Trillo, Jesús. (2021). Is ugliness in the mind of the beholder? The conceptualization of ‘ugly’ in English. International Journal of Language and Culture 8(1): 106–127

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00037.gla

 

Abstract:

The paper explores the meaning and use of ugly in English. The study is based on corpus data from Cobuild Wordbanks Online and investigates the polysemy and the spheres of application of the concept. Through corpus analysis methodology, we investigate the most common collocations and the pragmatic and contextual uses of the term. Based on this analysis, our study proposes semantic explications of ugly in universal human concepts within the theoretical framework of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM). We also analyze the most common collocations with the word ugly and clas- sify them into several meaning-based categories. A comparison between beautiful and ugly reveals that they are not identical in their distribution, which suggests different cognitive salience of the concepts. We also note the special role of ‘people’ and ‘nature’ in conceptualization and use of beautiful and that of ‘human actions’ in ugly.

 


Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2021) Russian – Aesthetics

Published on August 15, 2021. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Gladkova, Anna. (2021). “What is beauty?”: Cultural semantics of the Russian folk aesthetics.  International Journal of Language and Culture 8(1): 84–105

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00036.gla

 

Abstract:

The paper studies the semantics of four Russian key terms of aesthetic evaluation: krasivyj ‘beautiful’, prekrasnyj ‘beautiful/fine’, nekrasivyj ’ugly/ plain’ and bezobraznyj ‘ugly/frightful’. It demonstrates different patterns of polysemy of the words and the nuances of meaning. Following the framework of folk aesthetics and cultural semantics, the meanings of the terms in question are represented using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) and are shown to relate to Russian cultural themes. The analysis demonstrates cultural significance of aesthetic value in Russian and its intrinsic link with ethics, morality and politeness.

 


Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2021) Aesthetics

Published on August 15, 2021. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Gladkova, Anna, and Romero-Trillo, Jesús. (2021).  The linguistic conceptualization in folk aesthetics: Past, present and future. International Journal of Language and Culture 8(1): 1–13

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00032.int

 

Abstract:

This Special Issue is dedicated to the analysis of the linguistic conceptualization of “beautiful” and “ugly” as the key concepts that are basic to aesthetic appreciation across languages and cultures within the framework of folk aesthetics. For this purpose, we present a collection of original research articles analyzing concepts related to folk aesthetics in seven languages: English, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Danish, Persian, and Mandarin Chinese. All studies in this Special Issue focus on words and concepts as representations of culture-specific ways of aesthetic appreciation. Most of the studies are corpus-based, therefore they draw their conclusions on significant linguistic data.

 

 

 

(2021) Chinese (Mandarin) – Aesthetics

Published on August 15, 2021. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Wong, Jock and Or, Marshal. (2021). “Is beauty only skin deep?”: The conceptualization of ‘beauty’ in Mandarin Chinese. International Journal of Language and Culture 8(1): 35–61

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.00034.won

 

Abstract:

From a semantic and cultural perspective, one could ask a number of questions regarding the English word ‘beauty’ and the adjectival form ‘beautiful’ when they are used to refer to visual aspects of people. Given that scholars and professionals in the beauty industry frequently use the words to describe people from various cultures, should we assume that each of them embodies a semantic and cultural universal? Given that plastic surgeons and beauticians improve the physical appearance of people, especially women, why do they not use the word ‘pretty’ to promote their services instead? After all, the phrase ‘pretty woman’ is also the title of a popular song first recorded by Roy Orbison in 1964 and later the name of a hugely successful 1990 movie. Why are beauty salons so called? Why are they not called prettiness salons instead? This paper attempts to address such questions by studying the meanings of two Mandarin Chinese words: mĕi/měilì 美/美 丽 (roughly, ‘beautiful’) and piàoliàng 漂亮  (roughly, ‘pretty’). The words are polysemous and this paper focuses on the meanings that are relevant to the pur- poses of describing women. It tries to explain the conceptual difference between a woman who is mĕi/měilì and one who is piàoliàng. Hopefully, the findings will shed light on some of the semantic distinctions that are impor- tant to Mandarin Chinese speakers and thus the questions raised above.

 


Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2021) Aesthetics

Published on August 15, 2021. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Gladkova, Anna, & Romero-Trillo, Jesús (eds.). (2021). The Conceptualization of ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Ugly’ across Languages and Cultures. Special issue of the International Journal of Language and Culture 8:1

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ijolc.8.1

 

Contents (NSM articles only):

The linguistic conceptualization in folk aesthetics: Past, present and future. Anna Gladkova and Jesús Romero-Trillo | pp. 1–13
Pæn, flot, dejlig, and lækker : A lexical anthropology of Danish folk aesthetics. Carsten Levisen | pp. 14–34
“Is beauty only skin deep?”: The conceptualization of ‘beauty’ in Mandarin Chinese. Jock Wong and Marshal Or | pp. 35–61
“What is beauty?”: Cultural semantics of the Russian folk aesthetics. Anna Gladkova | pp. 84–105
Is ugliness in the mind of the beholder? The conceptualization of ‘ugly’ in English. Anna Gladkova and Jesús Romero-Trillo | pp. 106–127
The good, the bad… and the ugly? The conceptualization of aesthetics in Spanish. Jesús Romero-Trillo | pp. 147–168