Browsing results for Tagalog

(1987) Various languages – Value-judgment terms

Published on May 12, 2017. Last updated on August 15, 2021.

Hill, Deborah (1987). A cross-linguistic study of value-judgement terms. MA thesis, Australian National University.

The purpose of this thesis is to try to establish the extent to which the words good, bad, true and right can be considered lexical universals. These words have been chosen because they are value-judgment terms that, individually, have been discussed at length by philosophers. It seems to be assumed by philosophers and semanticists that these words reflect concepts shared by speakers of all languages. By testing whether these words are candidates for lexical universals we can then see the extent to which this assumption is true.

On the basis of information from native speakers from 15 diverse languages, we can say that good and bad reflect language independent concepts (GOOD and BAD). However, in many languages, including English, the range of meaning of bad is narrower than the range of meaning of good. By looking at five of these fifteen languages we can see that the words right and true reflect concepts that are not language
independent. Thus, by taking a cross-linguistic approach, we can shed some light on the work done by language philosophers in the area of value-judgment terms.

The following languages are examined in this thesis: Arabic, Arrernte, Chinese (Mandarin), English, Ewe, Fijian, Finnish, Indonesian, Kannada, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish.


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

(2006) Tagalog – ‘Anger’

Published on July 27, 2017. Last updated on August 19, 2018.

Lorenzana, Angela E. (2006). Galit: The Filipino emotion word for ‘anger’. In Tenth international conference on Austronesian linguistics (10-ICAL). http://www-01.sil.org/asia/philippines/ical/index.html. PDF (open access)

Noteworthy semantic studies have been conducted to explicate anger concepts in different languages. One tool for such cross-cultural comparisons is the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM), a set of 56 indefinable words or semantic primes developed by Anna Wierzbicka over a period of 35 years. Using this tool in analysing emotion concepts through linguistic evidence such as literary excerpts, dialogs and interviews reveals the fact that while emotional universals allegedly exist, emotions are experienced and expressed differently. The use of the semantic primes allows the formulation of a detailed statement (otherwise known as explication) of the elements that compose the meaning or definition of a complex word. Semantic explications for anger words in different languages reveal marked differences in their causes, management and expression. For instance, emotion words for anger such as the Anglo-Saxon anger, the Ifaluk song, the Chinese nu or the Polish gniew were found to be different from the Filipino word galit. Using NSM as a common measure or tertium comparationis, one can correctly and meaningfully compare as many different languages as possible.


Approximate application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner

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(2013) Tagalog – Emotions

Published on July 18, 2017. Last updated on May 1, 2019.

Petras, Jayson D. (2013). Ang Pagsasakatutubo mula sa Loob/Kultural na Pagpapatibay ng mga Salitang Pandamdaming Tumutukoy sa “Sayá”: Isang Semantikal na Elaborasyon ng Wikang Filipino sa Larangan ng Sikolohiya. Humanities Diliman, 10(2), 56-84.

Open access

Abstract:

The Philippines has often been recognized as one of the most emotional countries in the world. Despite this, there is a scarcity of research pertaining to emotions in the context of Filipinos’ own language and culture; instead, the convenient practice of explaining phenomena based on studies published abroad continues. This is the reason why even local scholarship remains ethnocentric, particularly Anglocentric, in nature.

The author answers the need to culturally revalidate or indigenize emotion studies through the examination of the semantic elaboration of the happiness domain in Tagalog. To analyse the scope and depth of Tagalog happiness-related words, as well as their similarities and differences, it calls upon NSM. Highlighting the uniqueness of the words alíw, galák, ligáya, lugód, luwalhatì, sayá, siyá, tuwâ, and wíli thus becomes a possibility.

The paper concludes with a call for ongoing examination of the language of emotions as a means toward gaining a better understanding of Filipino personality.

More information:

Written in Tagalog. A noteworthy feature is the inclusion of a very useful tabular comparison of prime lists over time. The key dates retained are 1972, 1980, 1989, 1994, 1996 and 2002.

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Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner

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(2014) Tagalog – Terms of address

Published on July 27, 2017. Last updated on August 31, 2018.

Waga, Andrew Ike B. (2014). A semantic differentiation of the name marker pairs Kuya/Ate and Manong/Manang using Natural Semantic Metalanguage. BA thesis, University of the Philippines Diliman. DOCX (open access)

This undergraduate thesis uses Natural Semantic Metalanguage to semantically differentiate the name markers Kuya/Ate and Manong/Manang. The semantic explications are then compared to their literal meanings provided by the UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino. This research also investigates how gender could be a factor in one’s linguistic choices, particularly how it affects one’s use of the two name marker pairs.

This research demonstrates the validity of the use of NSM as it is able to come up with thorough semantic explications of the name markers kuya/ate and manong/manang. This study also demonstrates how one’s gender influences one’s motivations in using language, specifically in the use of name markers to address people. Through Deborah Tannen’s Difference and Dominance Approaches, this study shows how each gender has sex-specific motivations in language use.


Approximate application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner

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(2015) Tagalog – Cultural key words

Published on July 27, 2017. Last updated on May 1, 2019.

Lorenzana, Angela E. (2015). A semantic analysis of “pakikisama”, a key Filipino cultural relationship concept: The NSM approach. Iamure International Journal of Literature, Philosophy and Religion, 7(1), 15-31.

DOI: 10.7718/iamure.ijlpr.v7i1.874

Abstract:

The study of a language, especially of its vocabulary, can reveal one’s way of thinking, show the essential features of a particular culture and offer important clues for its distinction from others. This paper uses NSM to investigate the Filipino notion of pakikisama ‘getting along with others’. The semantic explication reveals the Filipinos’ unique way of looking at things by demonstrating their dominantly inherent ‘group’ cognitive structures. The paper recommends that the concept be compared with those from other ethnolinguistic groups in order to promote goodwill and understanding among people of diverse cultural backgrounds.

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Approximate application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner

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