Horn, Nynne Thorup (2014). Child-centered semantics: Keywords and cultural values in Danish language socialisation. MA thesis, Aarhus University.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the Danish child-view, including Danish language socialization practices, is perceived as particularly foreign and peculiar by immigrants and other cultural outsiders. Personal accounts from Middle-Eastern immigrants are supported by available information material offered by Danish integration services. Thus, the booklet Your child lives in Denmark, devised by the Danish child-oriented organisation Børns Vilkår ‘Children’s Welfare’, which is available in Afghan, Arabic, Danish, English, Somali, Turkish, and Urdu, advises immigrants in Denmark to bring up their children by talking with them, by avoiding coaxing them with sweets, and by giving them the freedom to be children. While this advice may make sense to a native member of Danish culture, they are unintelligible and meaningless to cultural outsiders. By means of semantic and ethnopragmatic analyses, the thesis seeks to concretize and clarify the meaning as well as the inherent cultural values and assumptions inherent in the culture-specific advice and the Danish child-view in general. More specifically, the thesis combines the theory of language socialization with the approach of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) to identify and analyse cultural key words and core values in the Danish child-view and investigates if, and how, Danish children become socialized with these key words and their underlying values.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
See also: (E) fantasi, (E) pædagogisk, (E) trivsel, (E) upædagogisk
Buyankina, A. S. (2015). Sympathy and empathy in English and Russian: A linguistic and cultural analysis. In С. А. Песоцкая [S. A. Pesotskaya] (Ed.), Коммуникативные аспекты языка и культуры: сборник материалов XV Международной научно-практической конференции студентов и молодых ученых [Communicative aspects of language and culture: A collection of materials of the XVth International Scientific and Practical Conference of Students and Young Scientists]: Vol. 3 (pp. 70-72). Томск [Tomsk]: Изд-во ТПУ [TPU Publishing House].
Open access
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This paper is a quasi verbatim reproduction of selected paragraphs of:
Gladkova, Anna (2010). Sympathy, compassion, and empathy in English and Russian: A linguistic and cultural analysis. Culture & Psychology, 16(2), 267-285. |
| The NSM explications are slightly different and may be imperfect translations from the Russian explications in chapter 6 of:Гладкова, А. Н. [Gladkova, Anna] (2010). Русская культурная семантика: эмоции ценности, жизненные установк [Russian cultural semantics: Emotions, values, attitudes]. Москва [Moscow]: Языки славянской культуры [Languages of Slavic Cultures]. |
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See also: (E) empathy, (E) sočuvstvie сочувствие, (E) sopereživanie сопереживание, (E) sympathy
Barrios Rodríguez, María Auxiliadora (2013). Functional macrocategory and semiautomatic inheritance of semantic features: A methodology for defining nouns. In Valentina Apresjan, Boris Iomdin, & Ekaterina Ageeva (Eds.), Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on
Meaning-Text Theory (pp. 11-20). Prague: Charles University.
The aim of this paper is to discuss a possible new methodology when defining concrete nouns such as earring, ring or scarf by their automatic inheritance of semantic features from their macro-categories, in this case accessories. The semantic analysis of the meaning by primes, molecules and lexical functions allows us to arrive at a set of definitions that are more coherent for one lexical field. This methodology could be helpful when building ontologies.
Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
See also: (E) accessories, (E) bracelet, (E) briefcase, (E) diary, (E) earring, (E) handbag, (E) hat, (E) necklace, (E) ring, (E) scarf, (E) sunglasses, (E) wallet, (E) watch
Brise, Lillian (2017). Eating regret and seeing contempt: A Cognitive Linguistic approach to the language of emotions in Igala (Nigeria). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3726/b11354
Abstract:
This book, which deals with emotions and their expression in Igala, a Nigerian minority language with about two million speakers, calls for significant revisions within the NSM framework, its universal lexicon and its universal syntax, especially with respect to the prime FEEL. It challenges the claim that, in its present form, NSM is adequate for the analysis of emotion concepts universally. The challenge is based on the way emotions are conceptualized in Igala as well as on the absence of certain semantic primes that the NSM approach considers necessary for the analysis of emotions.
The author argues that NSM’s rigid claims to universality (of its syntax, for example) hinder the elegant description of emotion concepts in Igala and that the status of FEEL has to be re-evaluated. Igala does not have a generic lexical item that fits into the allegedly universal syntax specifications for FEEL and that lends itself to the explication of both physical and emotional (mental) states. FEEL must therefore possibly be downgraded and accorded the status of a semantic molecule rather than a prime. This would make it a language-specific concept, required for the explication of emotion concepts in some languages (e.g. English) but unnecessary in others (e.g. Igala).
Rating:
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
See also: (E) àjìlò, (E) áɲó, (E) ɛ̀dɔ̀ dúdú, (E) ɛ̀dɔ̀ ɛ̀bɔ́, (E) ɛ̀dɔ̀ ɛ́kpabíe, (E) ɛ̀dɔ̀ ɛ̀kpabíɛ́, (E) ìhìɛ̀nɛ̀, (E) ìmélí, (E) ìwɔ̀, (E) òkpò, (E) ɔ́la ɟìɟìlì, (E) ufɛ́dɔ̀, (E) ùgɛ́dɔ̀, (E) ùgójì, (E) ùkàtà, (E) ùlàkà, (E) ùwɛ́dɔ̀, (E) ùyɔ̀, (T) Igala
Chappell, Hilary Margaret (1983). A semantic analysis of passive, causative and dative constructions in Standard Chinese. PhD thesis, Australian National University.
A semantic analysis of passive, causative and dative benefactive constructions in Chinese is carried out in this thesis.
In Part I, the view of the bèi passive as an adversity passive in its traditional use is upheld and supported principally by the evidence of the synchronic semantic analysis and secondarily by other considerations such as its evolution from verb to grammatical exponent, its restricted usage when compared with the neutral topic-comment constructions and its function as a warning in the negative imperative mood. The treatment of the bèi passive as a polysemous structure results in its division into two main types: the traditional bei passive, comprising four constructions, and the ‘Europeanized’ literary bèi passive where the influence of European languages in translation has led to the loss of the adversity feature and the modification of the semantic requirements pertaining to the agent with respect to its two constructions.
The analysis of the get passive in English as forming a complex of constructions – some adversative and others beneficial in their overall interpretation – serves as the link between the discussion of adversity passives in Part I and the discussion of the purely colloquial passives formed by ràng and jiào in Part II, where parallels are drawn between the non-reflexive adversative get passive and the rang passive.
In Part II, an argument in favour of considering the ràng and jiào passives to be semantically distinct both from one another and from the bèi passive is presented. It is contended that ràng forms passives of “avoidable events” whereas jiào forms passives expressing the unexpected nature of the event. The causative constructions formed by ràng and jiào are also treated in Part II and shown to differ considerably in their syntactic behaviour from their respective passive constructions despite the sharing of the same syntactic form. Evidence is adduced to support the view that none of the jiào causatives express the meaning of ‘let’ or ‘allow’ whereas some of the ràng causatives do. In this way, ràng and jiào causatives are shown not to be interchangeable.
In Part III, an argument is presented against the claim that the preverbal gěi construction in Chinese is polysemous to the extent of being a benefactive construction that is mutually substitutable with the meanings of two other constructions formed by ti ‘on behalf of’ and wei ‘for the sake of’. Secondly, it is argued that the benefactive gěi construction is not mutually transformable with either of the two dative constructions formed by gěi as each of these three constructions not only has a unique syntactic form but consequently a unique semantic structure.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
See also: (E) bei, (E) gěi, (E) get, (E) jiào, (E) ràng
Tokula, Lillian & Pütz, Martin (2016). Emotion concepts in Igala language (Nigeria): A view from NSM theory. In Gratien G. Atindogbé & Evelyn Fogwe Chibaka (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on African linguistics: Vol. 2 (pp. 948-976). Bamenda (Cameroon): Langaa.
Abstract:
This study highlights the various characteristics of emotion concepts in Igala and shows the areas of overlap among the members of different categories of emotion concepts. The absence of a lexical exponent for FEEL in Igala is shown not to have any relevance to the expression and comprehension of emotive language in Igala, as shown by the side by side explication done simultaneously in both languages for happiness-, love- and fear-like emotions. The authors submit that, contrary to the claims made by the leading developers of the theory, FEEL is not necessary to the semantic explication of emotion concepts universally. They therefore recommend a review of the status of FEEL. In the face of evidence to the contrary from languages such as Igala and Sidaama, its present status as a semantic prime points to (unintended and paradoxical) ethnocentric bias on the part of the developers of the theory – a phenomenon, among others, that motivated the development of the theory in the first place. A re-evaluation of the status of the concept FEEL as a semantic molecule necessary for the semantic explication of emotion concepts in English and some other languages but not as a semantic prime found in ALL languages of the world may be more fitting to the data.
Rating:
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
See also: (E) àyìlò, (E) ɛ̀dɔ̀ ɛ̀bɔ́, (E) òkpò, (E) ufɛ́dɔ̀, (E) ùyɔ̀, (T) Igala
Wierzbicka, Anna (2018). I know: A human universal. In Stephen Stich, Masaharu Mizumoto, & Eric McCready (Eds.), Epistemology for the rest of the world (pp. 215-250). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
Wierzbicka, Anna (2004). Еврейские кул’турные скрипты и понимание Евангелия [Jewish cultural scripts and understanding of the Gospel]. In Jurij D. Apresjan (Ed.), Sokrovennye smysly: Festschrift for N. D. Arutjunova (pp. 533-547). Moskva.
Written in Russian.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
Wierzbicka, Anna (2007). ‘Reasonable man’ and ‘reasonable doubt’: The English language, Anglo culture and Anglo-American law. International Journal of Speech Language and the Law, 10(1), 1-22.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
van Baalen, Christine (2003). Neerlandistiek zonder grenzen: Over het nut van crossculturele taalanalyses [Dutch studies without borders: On the usefulness of cross-cultural language analyses]. Colloquium Neerlandicum, 15, 13-22. PDF (open access)
To gain intercultural competence, one must learn to look beyond the confines of one’s own language by studying it in contrast with other languages. This contribution aims to illustrate this idea. First, I delve into the concept of ‘intercultural competence’. Next, I show how intercultural competence in language teaching can be promoted by means of cross-cultural language analyses. The usefulness of such analyses is demonstrated by means of a cultural key word, on one hand, and a buzz word, on the other.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
See also: (E) gezellig
Sadow, Lauren (2014). Cultural scripts in practice: An investigation into applying cultural scripts as a pedagogical tool in ESL classrooms. Master’s thesis, University of New England.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
Ye, Zhengdao (2006). Ways of meaning, ways of life: A semantic approach to Chinese ethnopsychology. PhD thesis, Australian National University.
Open access
Abstract:
This thesis attempts to identify some key aspects of Chinese indigenous psychologies reflected in the Chinese language, and to investigate and articulate their meanings from a culture-internal perspective. An in-depth examination and analysis of key Chinese words and expressions reveal the conceptual basis of Chinese social organization and social interaction,
distinctive ways of emotion expression (both verbal and non-verbal) in relation to underlying cultural values and attitudes towards emotion, the relationship between sensory experience and the conceptual structure (especially with regard to the role of ‘taste’ in Chinese conceptual formation), as well as the folk model of learning in relation to ‘memorization’ and knowledge formation.
NSM is employed as a culture-independent conceptual tool for meaning analysis so that the ways of thinking, knowing, feeling and behaving that are fundamental to the Chinese way of life can be made easily accessible and intelligible to cultural outsiders. The cultural scripts theory, a spin-off of the NSM approach, is employed as a conceptual framework for cultural notations, aiming at a closer integration between language, culture and psychology. The study makes an empirical
and conceptual contribution not only to the growing field of the study of Chinese indigenous psychologies, but also to the study of the commonality and diversity of human experience and cognition in general. It has practical implications and applications for intercultural communication.
More information:
Chapter 2 builds on: Chinese categorization of interpersonal relationships and the cultural logic of Chinese social interaction: An indigenous perspective (2004)
Chapter 3 builds on: Why the “inscrutable” Chinese face? Emotionality and facial expression in Chinese (2006)
Rating:
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
Wierzbicka, Anna (2016). Terms of address as keys to culture and society: German Herr vs. Polish Pan. Acta Philologica [Uniwersytet Warszawski], 49, 29-44.
This article takes up a theme addressed many years ago by Andrzej Bogusławski: a semantic and cultural comparison of the Polish and German terms of address Pan and Herr. Focussing on these two words, the paper seeks to demonstrate that despite their apparent insignificance, generic titles used daily across Europe can reveal complex and intricate webs of cultural assumptions and attitudes and provide keys to the inmost recesses of the speakers’ cultural and social world. At the same time, the paper argues that to use these keys effectively, we need some basic locksmith skills; and it tries to show that the NSM approach to semantics and pragmatics can help us develop such skills. The explications posited here possess, it is argued, predictive and explanatory power that is beyond the reach of traditional analyses operating with technical labels such as “formal”, ”polite”, “respectful”, “egalitarian” and so on. The paper has implications for language teaching and cross-cultural communication and education in Europe and beyond.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
See also: (E) Herr, (E) Mr [= Mister], (E) Pan, (E) Pani
黄囗盈 [Wong, Suet Ying] (2006). 新加坡华语会话中的语气词’leh’之硏究 [The ‘leh’ Particle in Singapore Mandarin]. BA(Hons) thesis. Singapore: National University of Singapore.
The abundant usage of particles in conversation is one of the most distinctive features of Singapore linguistic culture. It is typical for the conversations of Singaporeans to be littered with particles, whether they are speaking in English or Mandarin. These particles are loaded with pragmatic meanings. Many studies have been carried out throughout the years to explicate the meanings and functions they carry. However, the usage of such particles in conversation often makes no sense to foreigners.
Moreover, most studies have investigated the usage of particles in the context of Singapore English (Singlish) conversation, but are oblivious to the fact that the phenomenon is equally significant in Singapore Mandarin conversation.
This study looks at the particle leh in Singapore Mandarin conversation. Its aim is to investigate the inherent meaning of leh within the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) framework, as well as the functions that come with the different lexical tones of leh, using data from natural conversation. Lastly, the phonetic changes of leh in Singapore Mandarin are also examined.
See also: (E) leh
Bolin, Mary (2018). Natural Semantic Metalanguage: Primes, universals, and syntax with data from the semantic field Grace in the Old Testaments of the King James Bible and Martin Luther’s German Bible. University of Nebraska, Lincoln: Faculty Publications. PDF (open access)
This study looks at semantic analysis through the lens of NSM as described by Wierzbicka and others, showing how primes combine syntactically to make culture. The focus is on the semantic field Grace in the Bible’s Old Testament, both in German and English, and on how this field can be analysed using NSM. The explications are preliminary and could be extensively overhauled and edited to make them clearer, more exhaustive, and more contrastive. NSM analysis both confirms things about this data that were already shown by previous analyses, and provides further insights. The optimism, tenaciousness, and forthrightness of this approach make it intriguing and promising and the staunch empiricism of NSM researchers provides a lot of evidence that can be evaluated and used.
Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
See also: (E) Barmherzigkeit, (E) compassion, (E) Erbarmen, (E) favour, (E) Gnade, (E) God, (E) grace, (E) Gunst, (E) Güte, (E) kindness, (E) mercy, (E) pity
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.
Sukarsih, Ni Nyoman Tri, & Erfiani, Ni Made Diana (2017). Peranan Metabahasa Semantik Alami dalam pencarian makna verba Bahasa Bali “rasa pada anggota tubuh” [The role of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage in the search for the meaning of Balinese verbs for ‘feel in one’s limbs’]. Sphota: Jurnal Linguistik dan Sastra, 6(1), 59-70. PDF (open access)
Written in Indonesian. All NSM explications are formulated in the language of the paper.
In Balinese, there are several verbs meaning ‘to feel’, all referring to physical pain in the limbs. Using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach, it can be revealed that each word has a different meaning, even though they belong to the same lexical field. The semantic features of each of the words can be described through an in-depth study involving NSM, so that even subtle differences in meaning can be mapped. The NSM theory is able to discern subtle differences between meanings, thus supporting the ‘one form for one meaning and one meaning expressed by a single word’ postulate.
Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
See also: (E) ayub, (E) beenan, (E) bengka, (E) enek, (E) guam, (E) jampi, (E) kenyot-kenyot, (E) kledot-kledot, (E) klies-klies, (E) kriug-kriug, (E) met, (E) ngangsur, (E) ngilu, (E) ngilut, (E) pengeng, (E) seneb, (E) sengel, (E) sesek, (E) tuh gaing
Arnawa, Nengah (2009). Bahasa Bali usia anak-anak: Kajian Metabahasa Semantik Alami [Children’s Balinese: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage study]. Linguistika, 16(30). PDF (open access)
This study seeks to test the hypothesis that children acquire the exponents of universal semantic primes sooner than they do other semantic material. The children observed were Balinese 4-6 year olds. The Balinese exponents of the NSM primes belong to the so-called neutral style or kepara, a vocabulary style that is unmarked and generic.
It was found that the 4-6 year olds are able to produce 58 out of the sixty exponents in their utterances. The exponents not produced by the Balinese children in our sample are AKLINYENGAN ‘MOMENT’ and MIRIB ‘MAYBE’. The absence of the semantic prime AKLINYENGAN is due to the uncertainty of the lexical reference; similarly, MIRIB ‘MAYBE’ is absent because of cognitive limitations: children are not able to use the knowledge they have to predict what is going to happen.
The exponents that have the widest distribution in Balinese are ICANG ‘I’ and BENA ‘YOU’. However, the children in our sample were not able to construct sentences using ICANG ‘I’ and BENA ‘YOU’ as psychological objects.
This paper is about language acquisition. It does not contain any explications or scripts. No rating is provided.
See also: (T) Balinese
Ameka, Felix Kofi (1986). The use and meaning of selected particles in Ewe. MA thesis, Australian National University.
When studying particles – regardless of the language they belong to – it is not enough to describe their distribution and to provide labels. We must go beyond descriptions and, in an attempt to come up with a reliable guide to usage, elucidate the meanings encapsulated in the particles, in a manner that is linguistically precise and as far as permissible culturally and socially revealing. This is the task undertaken in this study, with special reference to the author’s native language, Ewe.
We describe and defend an illocutionary semantic approach to the particles. In essence, we advocate a method of analysis that decomposes the illocutionary forces of particles into their components, which are expressed in a language that is simple and intuitively intelligible. The test for our analysis is that the formulations (explications) should be substitutable for the particles (salvo sensu) in any of their possible uses.
Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners
See also: (E) (particles)
Metom, Lilly (2000). An application and interpretation of Iban emotion concepts of shame/shyness, anger and apology using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage and concrete/abstract cultural continuum. In Michael Leigh (Ed.), Borneo 2000: Ethnicity, culture and society. Proceedings of the Sixth Biennial Borneo Research Conference (pp. 250-277). Kuching: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
Cultures differ in their style of communication. Iban culture is no exception. The style of interaction and communication of the Ibans is also unique; expressions of emotion in Iban cannot be simply explained or translated into English since meanings and use of the expressions are culture-specific. Furthermore, drawing on the fact that Iban people are more “concrete” in their relation with other members of the group, expressions of emotion such as anger, embarrassment, joy, fear and others are normally conveyed non-verbally. Hence, this paper explores and investigates how these emotion concepts are expressed and used in the daily conduct of the Iban people. Three categories of selected Iban emotions are explicated and analysed here, namely the emotion expression of shame/shyness, the emotion expression of anger, and the emotion expression of apology. In order to explain culturally the emotion words, Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) is used as an analytical tool to explicate the words, so as to avoid ethnocentric bias.
Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner
See also: (E) adat, (E) jaga adat, (E) kudi, (E) malu, (E) minta ampun, (E) pedis ati, (E) ransi, (E) sorry
