이정애 [Lee, Jeong-Ae] (2012). *국어의 간접성과 NSM [Indirectness in Korean and Natural Semantic Metalanguage] [In Korean]. 語文學 [Chinese Literature], 118.
(2012) Koromu – Potential event modality
Priestley, Carol (2012). The expression of potential event modality in the Papuan language of Koromu. In Maia Ponsonnet, Loan Dao, & Margit Bowler (Eds.), Proceedings of the 42nd Australian Linguistic Society Conference – 2011 (pp. 389-422). http://hdl.handle.net/1885/9404. PDF (open access)
This paper aims to give an overview of the morphosyntax and semantics of potential event modality in
Koromu (Kesawai), a Madang language in the Papuan group. Potential event modality refers to Palmer’s “events that are not actualized…but are merely potential” (2001: 70). Some characteristics of event modality are compared with English and other Papuan/regional languages. The study is based on Koromu data in recorded texts, collected over a number of years and on earlier grammatical analysis. Meanings are represented in semantic explications in the Natural Semantic Metalanguage, a metalanguage that can be used in many different languages. The findings include a range of constructions and meanings for “imperative” and “desiderative” type expressions, a distinction between external, internal and negative desires, and strategies for testing meaning and grammar analysis with Koromu speakers.
(2012) Koromu – Temporal expressions
Priestley, Carol (2012). Koromu temporal expressions: Semantic and cultural perspectives. In Luna Filipovic, & Kasia Jaszczolt (Eds.), Space and time in languages and cultures: Language, culture and cognition (pp. 143-165). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI: 10.1075/hcp.37.12pri
This chapter examines different types of time expressed in Koromu (Kesawai), a Papuan language, to show the interaction of time expressions with cultural and environmental contexts and to investigate semantic description. Meanings are explicated in a metalanguage based on semantic primitives. The discovery of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) temporal primes and investigation of semantic molecules, non-primitive meanings that occur within the meaning of other concepts, promotes comparative and contrastive semantic description. The finding of culture-specific concepts referring to ‘time-’ and ‘event-based’ time intervals, linear and cyclical time, suggests that a range of expressions need consideration when cultural perspectives are assessed.
(2012) Manggarai – ‘Cut’
Gande, Vinsensius (2012). Verba ‘memotong’ dalam Bahasa Manggarai: Kajian Metabahasa Semantik Alami [The verb ‘cut’ in the language of the Manggarai: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage study]. Master’s thesis, Udayana University, Denpasar.
Written in Indonesian.
Verbs meaning “cut” in the language of the Manggarai (spoken in the western parts of the island of Flores, in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia) are described and subdivided according to whether they refer to cutting humans (human limbs), animals, trees, grass, fruit, leaves, ropes and cloth. The semantic template that is used consists of the following subsections: lexical-syntactic structure, prototypical motivation scenario, instruments, ways of using the instruments, desired outcomes.
(2012) Persian, English – (Rejection of) suggestions
Zamanian, Mostafa, & Hashimi, Seyede Zahra (2012). Analysis of cultural scripts of suggestions and rejection of suggestions in Persian and English within Natural Semantic Metalanguage framework. Journal of Studies in Learning and Teaching English, 1(2), 19-39. PDF (open access)
In this study a number of social functions in Persian are analysed using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) framework. The results are then compared and contrasted to those obtained for English. The functions in focus are suggestions, and rejection of suggestions.
The results of this study indicate that: (1) the NSM is applicable to the communicative interaction routines in Persian, (2) cultural scripts can be used to develop an awareness of cultural differences in the learners, and finally (3) the model in question is suitable for cross-cultural contrastive analysis.
Approximate application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
(2012) Persian, English (USA) – Offers
Karimnia, Amin (2012). A cross-cultural approach to contrasting offers in English and Persian. World Applied Sciences Journal, 16(2), 280-289. DOI: 10.1.1.389.5350. PDF (open access)
This study is an attempt to carry out a comparative analysis using Natural Semantic Metalanguage (henceforth NSM). The offering routine patterns of native Persian speakers was compared with that of Native American English speakers to see if it can provide evidence for the applicability of the NSM model. The descriptive technique was the cultural scripts approach, using conceptual primes proposed in the NSM theory. The cultural scripts were presented in both English and Persian metalanguages. The data were taken from a corpus of 20 hours of recorded live interviews from Persian and English TV channels. The results show the applicability of NSM model for cross-cultural comparisons. The paper concludes with the pedagogical implications of the development of the theory of cultural scripts for teaching L2 sociopragmatics in general and offers in particular.
Approximate application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
(2012) Portuguese – CASA
Bułat Silva, Zuzanna (2012). O conceito de ‘casa’ em português europeu [The concept of ‘home’ in European Portuguese]. In Petar Petrov, Pedro Quintion de Sousa, Roberto López-Iglésias Samartim, & Elias J.Torres Feijó (Eds.), Avanços em ciências da linguagem (pp. 343-357). Faro: Através.
Written in Portuguese.
This introductory analysis of the lexico-cultural meaning of the word casa in European Portuguese shows in the main that ‘casa’ is an essential value in Portugal. Casa is an important reference point, a place where one stays for a short time or a long time, but always a place to go back to. Casa is linked to family, thought of not just as a group of people who live together, but rather as a network of multi-generational relations and obligations. Casa is more than just a place in physical space, it is also a metaphorical place in the heart, a place that inspires beautiful emotions, necessary for humans to live well.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2012) Portuguese – Emotions
Bułat Silva, Zuzanna (2012). Saudade: A key Portuguese emotion. Emotion Review, 4(2). 203-211.
DOI: 10.1177/1754073911430727
Abstract:
This paper analyses the meaning of the Portuguese emotion word saudade, roughly translatable as ‘nostalgia’, in an attempt to show its cultural significance and contradict the view that nostalgia is a marginal feeling, deprived of any practical function. Saudade is not a marginal feeling in Portuguese culture, but an important and basic emotion term going hand in hand with amor ‘love’. Saudade may be viewed as a typically prototypical category, because it covers the whole scale of feelings, from sadness to happiness. The Portuguese claim it has no equivalents in any other language in the world and regard it as a fundamental and distinctive feature of their national identity. Its main characteristic lies in its ambivalence — saudade is both a memory and a feeling; it is both pleasure and pain.
Rating:
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2012) Romanian – Emotions
Hărăbor, Alina (2012). An inquiry into Romanian anger-like and happiness-like emotions. Master’s thesis, Australian National University.
Abstract:
This thesis seeks to shed light on the inner lives of Romanian people via the language they use to communicate about their emotions. It is the first detailed study analysing these emotions by examining vocabulary, in particular the anger-related emotion words mânie and supărare and the happiness-related words fericire and veselie, as well as the syntactic constructions in which they occur. The thesis also highlights beliefs and cultural values that influence emotional experience.
By using NSM and drawing on instances of natural language (mainly extracted from the Romanian Corpus Linguistic), as well as proverbs, sayings, poems and songs, this study shows that Romanian emotions are very intense and that Romanians have a highly responsive behaviour: they feel and think socially rather than individually. For example, people’s ability to feel something good is intensified when they share a good feeling with someone else. Furthermore, the thesis shows that labels such as anger or happiness cannot be applied to Romanian because the emotional reality expressed in Romanian does not match the Anglo concepts described by these English labels.
Rating:
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2012) Russian – NSM primes
Gladkova, Anna (2012). Universals and specifics of ‘time’ in Russian. In Luna Filipović, & Kasia M. Jaszczolt (Eds.), Space and time across languages and cultures: Vol. II. Language, culture and cognition (pp. 167-188). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.37.13gla
Abstract:
This chapter addresses the question of universal as well as language- and culture-specific traits in the conceptualization of ‘time’. It tests the NSM hypothesis that the semantic primes WHEN~TIME and NOW should also be found in Russian. It demonstrates that когда~время kogda~vremja and сейчас sejčas are Russian exponents of these primes, while the related terms пора pora, теперь teper’, and нынче nynče are semantically complex. The chapter formulates culturally salient attitudes to time in Russian, such as ‘change’, ‘persistence’, ‘things being outside people’s control’, on the basis of the analysed words. It argues that, because of its universal character, NSM can be regarded as an effective tool in time-related linguistic research.
Rating:
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2012) Singapore Chinese Hokkien – Evidence for an indigenized Singapore culture
Tien, Adrian (2012). Chinese Hokkien and its lexicon in Singapore: Evidence for an indigenised Singapore culture. In Rudolf Muhr (Ed.), Non-dominant varieties of pluricentric languages: Getting the picture. In memory of Michael Clyne (pp. 453-472). Vienna: Peter Lang.
More surveys of languages of Singapore have concentrated on Chinese Mandarin – one of the official languages – than any other Chinese “dialects” that are also spoken by at least some of the Singaporeans, notably Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese. In focusing on Singapore Chinese Hokkien, this chapter shows that (1) this dialect is, essentially, a pluricentric language, and its Singaporean version reflects a local or indigenized variety of Hokkien that exhibits differences with varieties of Hokkien spoken elsewhere, e.g. Taiwan; (2) at least for now, the status of Hokkien has remained more or less secure and has, in fact, continued to play a prominent role in Singapore language and culture, despite it being non-official and non-dominant; and (3) in fact, Hokkien has assumed an influential role in other languages spoken in Singapore, official or not, e.g. Singapore English (“Singlish”) and Singapore Mandarin etc. A case study presented here, based on the semantic analysis of a Singapore Chinese Hokkien lexicon, demonstrates the uniqueness of this lexicon in usage and in culture.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2012) Spanish – DOLOR
Bułat Silva, Zuzanna (2012). Spanish pain, el dolor. In Zdzislaw Wasik, & Piotr P. Chruszczewski (Eds.), Languages in contact 2011 (pp. 61-71). Wroclaw: Wydawnictwo WSF.
The present paper is dedicated to the analysis of the Spanish word dolor ‘pain’; my aim is to demonstrate its cultural specificity and uniqueness. On the basis of lexical and textual data I explicate what the meaning of dolor is, and why I consider it very different from pain, its English counterpart. To free my considerations from an ethnocentric bias, I rely on NSM or Natural Semantic Metalanguage.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2012) Translatability
Afrashi, Azita & Taheri Ardali, Mortaza (2012). A look at universal concepts and the possibility of translatability. Translation Studies Quarterly [http://journal.translationstudies.ir], 10(37), 73-85.
Abstract:
After introducing the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach, the authors investigate the use of this approach in translation theory, focusing on the possibility of cross-cultural and cross-linguistic translatability. They conclude that universal human concepts ensure translatability of our thoughts from one language into another since they constitute a basis for genuine human understanding.
More information:
Written in Persian.
This paper contains explications of the Persian words شرم sharm ‘shame’, قهر qahr ‘not on speaking terms’, and غیرت qeyrat ‘zeal in defense of honour‘. It also proposes a shorter explication of the Polish verb tęsknić ‘feel the pain of distance’ than the one in Goddard’s Semantic Analysis (2nd edition, 2011).
Rating:
Approximate application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
(2012) Vietnamese – Classifiers
Dao, Loan (2012). The Vietnamese classifiers ‘CON’, ‘CÁI’ and the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach: A preliminary study. In Maia Ponsonnet, Loan Dao, & Margit Bowler (Eds.), Proceedings of the 42nd Australian Linguistic Society Conference – 2011 (pp. 58-74). http://langfest.anu.edu.au/index.php/als/als2011. PDF (open access)
This preliminary study is the first-ever attempt to analyse the lexical semantics of the two most commonly used classifiers in the Vietnamese language, con and cái, using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach. The study originates from an experience in teaching Vietnamese as a foreign language in Australia, where students’ difficulty in learning/acquiring the usage of the Vietnamese classifiers and the classifier noun phrases was observed. The ultimate aim of this pilot study is to use the semantic analysis of the classifiers achieved through NSM to enhance teaching and learning Vietnamese as a foreign language, and to advance the understanding of one of the world’s most extensive and elaborate classifier systems. If this aim is achieved, the study will further support the claim that NSM is an effective tool in the explanation of lexical semantics and language-specific grammatical categories and constructions.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2013) Arrernte – Logical relations
Broad, Neil (2013). A semantic structural analysis of logical relations in Eastern Arrernte. Alice Springs: Australian Society for Indigenous Languages. PDF (open access)
Facsimile edition of the author’s (Master’s?) thesis, University of New England (submitted around the year 2000).
This study is an analysis of the semantic structure of logical relations in Eastern Arrernte, focussing in particular on the level of inter-propositional relations and to a lesser degree on how logical relations are expressed at higher levels in the semantic hierarchy.
Chapter 1, as well as introducing the topic in general terms, provides an introduction to the salient features of Eastern Arrernte phonology and grammar. Chapter 2 introduces the Semantic Structural Analysis (SSA) theory upon which the initial task of analysing logical relations, as they are expressed in Arrernte, was based, and discusses the inherent problems with this approach. The solution to the difficulties raised here effectively anchors the typology associated with logical relations in lexicogrammatical universals, that is, in effect, semantic primes allied with Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) theory.
Chapter 3 begins by examining inter-propositional logical relations using SSA theory. The discussion turns to show how each of these types can be analysed and expressed as a reductive paraphrase, and how the seven differentiated types can be grouped into two core semantic structural categories, representing BECAUSE-types and IF-types. The discussion in Chapter 4 is an examination of the specific way in which the two core categories of logical relations are marked in Arrernte sentences. In so doing, recurrent patterns of marking logical relations and the key structural features are identified.
Chapter 5 introduces logical relations expressed at higher-than-sentence levels in the semantic hierarchy. Two specific texts, one a Dreaming narrative, the other a recount narrative, are examined, and some general observations made regarding the semantic structure of logical relations in Arrernte discourse. In addition, some preliminary observations are expressed regarding the type of reasoning process that can be identified in Arrernte discourse. Chapter 6 brings together the significant conclusions from this study.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2013) Asahan Malay – Emotions (fear)
Mulyadi (2013). Verba “mirip takut” dalam Bahasa Melayu Asahan [Fear-like verbs in Asahan Malay]. International Seminar “Language Maintenance and Shift III”. 331-335.
(2013) Australian Aboriginal languages – Kinship obligations
Wierzbicka, Anna (2013). Translatability and the scripting of other peoples’ souls. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 24(1), 1-22. DOI: 10.1111/taja.12018
If anthropology aims at understanding ‘others’, then obviously anthropologists must be interested in the meaning of what those ‘others’ say. But to understand what speakers of a language other than our own say, we need to know what exactly the words and grammatical categories of that other language mean. This article argues that translating indigenous categories into academic English does not allow us to capture indigenous perspectives and leads to what Geertz calls “scripting other people’s souls”. Focusing on cognitive and cultural categories from Australian Aboriginal languages usually linked with English labels such as ‘kinship obligations’ and ‘odd-numbered generations’, the article shows how the ways of thinking encoded in these languages can be explicated from the insider’s point of view, in simple words and simple sentences directly cross-translatable into the indigenous languages themselves.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
(2013) Balinese – Reduplicated verbs
Sudipa, I Nengah (2013). Full-reduplication Balinese verbs: A semantic view. Lingual: Journal of Language and Culture, 1(2). DOI: 10.24843/LJLC.2013.v01.i02.p04. PDF (open access)
Balinese full-reduplication verbs are common in everyday life, and therefore can be found in any text written in Balinese. This article aims at describing the meaning of reduplicated forms such as kituk-kituk and lier-lier. The data was taken from Balinese newspapers and analyzed according to the principles of the NSM approach. The results show that reduplicated forms can signal (a) increased emphasis, e.g. anggut-anggut; (b) repetition, e.g. kauk-kauk; (c) a new meaning (when the root or single form does not exist in Balinese), e.g. sidap-sidap. NSM manages to coherently and systematically account for each of these.
(2013) Chinese – Cultural key words / Ethnopsychology and personhood
Li, Jing; Ericsson, Christer; & Quennerstedt, Mikael (2013). The meaning of the Chinese cultural keyword xin. Journal of Languages and Culture, 4(5), 75-89.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5897/JLC12.054 / Open access
Abstract:
In China, the word 心 xīn (often translated as heart) is frequently used and its concept is central to Chinese culture. However, its meaning is not exactly the same as that of the English word heart. Using qigong as the context, this article aims to explore the meaning of 心 xīn as a cultural key word to gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese culture and knowledge within that cultural system. Qigong is a Chinese health maintenance system and healing tradition that integrates physical activity with training of the mind and self-cultivation. One of qigong’s basic components is 心 xīn adjustment. It is impossible to convey the full meaning of this concept without understanding the meaning of 心 xīn. In Chinese culture, 心 xīn is the root of physical and mental life. It is the seat of all emotions, and embodies the inherent goodness of human nature and wisdom. 心 xīn helps to guide the individual’s way of life and attitude, and can lead one to deep contentment.
Rating:
Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
(2013) Chinese (Cantonese) – Particles (gaa3, particle combinations)
Leung, Helen Hue Lam (2013). The Cantonese utterance particle ‘gaa3’ and particle combinations: An NSM semantic analysis. In John Henderson, Marie-Eve Ritz, & Celeste Rodríguez Louro (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2012 Conference of the Australian Linguistic Society (27 pp.). https://sites.google.com/site/als2012uwa/proceedings. PDF (open access)
Cantonese utterance particles occur in ordinary Cantonese conversation every one or two seconds. Speech becomes unnatural when they are omitted. They are often used in combinations of more than one, with ‘basic’ and ‘compound’ particles totalling approximately one hundred. However, it is generally agreed that the particles’ meanings are extremely elusive. This study uses the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) framework and natural speech data from the Hong Kong Cantonese Corpus to explain the meaning of the utterance particle gaa3 as used in statements. Gaa3 is the second most frequently used utterance particle in the corpus, and the eleventh most frequently used Cantonese word
overall. The NSM explication proposed clearly states what the ‘core’ or invariant meaning of gaa3 is. Furthermore, the explications of gaa3 and two other particles, laa1 and wo3, can reveal why they can
(or cannot) combine, and what their composite meanings are. This is a new approach to the untested idea that the meaning of particle ‘clusters’ is equal to that of the individual particles combined. The explications begin to expose a system with which the vast array and patterns of Cantonese utterance particles can be explained in a logical way.
