Tag: (E) Angst

(1998) German – Emotions

Wierzbicka, Anna (1998). Angst. Culture & Psychology, 4(2), 161-188.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X9800400202

Abstract:

The author examines the meaning, and the cultural history, of the German word Angst (roughly a cross between ‘anxiety’ and ‘fear’ but with a touch of mystery or existential insecurity), which is much more common, and culturally more salient, than the word Furcht (roughly ‘fear’). She shows that from a German point of view ‘Angst’ seems a far more ‘basic’ emotion than ‘fear’, and she investigates the possible roots of the concept of ‘Angst’ in Luther’s language, inner struggles and theology. The author seeks to demonstrate that by studying the semantic system of a language in a rigorous way and within a coherent methodological framework, one can both reveal and document the cultural underpinnings of emotions – even the most elusive and unfathomable ones such as Angst.

Translations:

Into Russian:

Chapter 12 (pp. 547-610) of Вежбицкая, Анна (1999), Семантические универсалии и описание языков [Semantic universals and the description of languages]. Москва [Moscow]: Языки русской культуры [Languages of Russian Culture].

Chapter 2 (pp. 44-122) of Вежбицкая, Анна (2001), Сопоставление культур через посредство лексики и прагматики [Comparison of cultures through vocabulary and pragmatics]. Москва [Moscow]: Языки Славянской Культуры [Languages of Slavic Culture].

More information:

A more recent publication building on this one is chapter 3 (pp. 123-167) of:

Wierzbicka, Anna (1999). Emotions across languages and cultures: Diversity and universals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Rating:


Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

Tagged as:

(1999) Emotions across languages and cultures [BOOK]

Wierzbicka, Anna (1999). Emotions across languages and cultures: Diversity and universals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Abstract:

This ground-breaking book brings psychological, anthropological and linguistic insights to bear on our understanding of the way emotions are expressed and experienced in different cultures, languages and culturally shaped social relations. The expression of emotion in the face, body and modes of speech are all explored. The author shows how the bodily expression of emotion varies across cultures and challenges traditional approaches to the study of facial expressions. As well as offering a new perspective on human emotions based on the analysis of language and ways of talking about emotion, this fascinating and controversial book attempts to identify universals of human emotion by analysing empirical evidence from different languages and cultures.

Table of contents:

  1. Introduction: feelings, languages, and cultures
  2. Defining emotion concepts: discovering ‘‘cognitive scenarios’’
  3. A case study of emotion in culture: German Angst
  4. Reading human faces
  5. Russian emotional expression
  6. Comparing emotional norms across languages and cultures: Polish vs. Anglo-American
  7. Emotional universals

More information:

Chapter 3 builds on: Angst (1998)

Chapter 4 builds on: Reading human faces: Emotion components and universal semantics (1993)

Chapter 5 builds on: Russian emotional expression (1998)

Various parts of other chapters build on: Emotion, language, and ‘‘cultural scripts’’ (1994)

Rating:

Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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