Habib, Sandy (2020). Heaven and hell are here! The non-religious meanings of English heaven and hell and their Arabic and Hebrew counterparts. In Bert Peeters, Kerry Mullan, & Lauren Sadow (Eds.) (2020). Studies in ethnopragmatics, cultural semantics, and intercultural communication: Vol. 2. Meaning and culture (pp. 149-165). Singapore: Springer.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9975-7_8
Abstract:
The religious meanings of English heaven and hell, Arabic الجنة aljanna and الجحيم jahannam الجحيم, and Hebrew גן העדן gan eden and גֵיהִנוֹם geyhinom have been explored in previous work. The aim of the present chapter is to throw light on their non-religious meanings, which turn out to be identical across the three languages. The six words are explicated using the simple, universal terms of the NSM approach. This results in explications that are easily understood and readily translatable into all languages, giving cultural outsiders an insider’s view of these concepts.
Rating:
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
