Cover not available
Article published In:
Review of Cognitive Linguistics
Vol. 18:1 (2020) ► pp.42–74

Exploring the cultural conceptualization of emotions across national language varieties

A multifactorial profile-based account of pride in European and Brazilian Portuguese

| Catholic University of Portugal

Supporting the hypothesis that emotions are culturally constructed, this article compares the cultural conceptualization of pride in European and Brazilian Portuguese (EP/BP). Individualistic/collectivistic as well as other cultural influences that determine the conceptual variation of pride in pluricentric Portuguese are examined. Adopting a sociocognitive view of language and applying a multifactorial usage-feature and profile-based methodology, this study combines a feature-based qualitative analysis of 500 occurrences of orgulho ‘pride’ and vaidade ‘vanity’ from a corpus of blogs with their subsequent multivariate statistic modeling. The multiple correspondence analysis reveals two clusters of features, namely, self-centered pride and other-directed pride. Logistic regression confirmed that EP appears to be more associated with other-directed pride, which is in line with the more collectivist and restrained Portuguese culture, whereas BP is more connected with self-centered pride. Accordingly, morally good pride is salient in EP. Brazil’s high power distance can also explain the prominence of negative and bad pride in BP.

Keywords: cultural conceptualization, emotions, behavioral profile, individualism vs. collectivism, multivariate quantitative methods, pride, Portuguese
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Cultural variation of pride: Individualistic and collectivistic influences
  • 3.Corpus data and methodology
    • 3.1Material
    • 3.2Multifactorial usage-feature and profile analysis
    • 3.3Multivariate quantitative methods
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Multiple correspondence analysis: Self-centered pride vs. other-directed pride
    • 4.2Logistic regression: Significant predictors for EP and BP national varieties
    • 4.3Good and bad pride
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 17 August 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.00050.soa
References
Bernárdez, E.
(2008) El lenguaje como cultura. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.Google Scholar
Clyne, M.
(Ed.) (1992) Pluricentric languages. Differing norms in different nations. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Dancygier, B.
(Ed.) (2017) The Cambridge handbook of Cognitive Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Divjak, D.
(2010) Structuring the lexicon: A clustered model for near-synonymy. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Eid, M., & Diener, E.
(2001) Norms for experiencing emotions in different cultures: Inter- and intranational differences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(5), 869–885. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fabiszak, M., & Hebda, A.
(2010) Cognitive historical approaches to emotions: Pride. In M. E. Winters, H. Tissari & K. Allan (Eds.), Historical Cognitive Linguistics (pp. 261–297). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fischer, A., Manstead, A. S. R., & Rodriguez Mosquera, P. M.
(1999) The role of honour-related vs. individualistic vales in conceptualizing pride, shame, and anger: Spanish and Dutch cultural prototypes. Cognition and Emotion, 13(2), 149–179. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fontaine, J. J. R., Scherer, K. R., & Soriano, C.
(Eds.) (2013) Components of emotional meaning. A sourcebook. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Frank, R. M.
(2015) Cultural linguistics and the future agenda for research on language and culture. In F. Sharifian (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of language and culture (pp. 493–512). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Geeraerts, D.
(2010) Theories of lexical semantics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Geeraerts, D., & Cuyckens, H.
(Eds.) (2007) The Oxford handbook of Cognitive Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Geeraerts, D., Grondelaers, S., & Bakema, P.
(1994) The structure of lexical variation. Meaning, naming, and context. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Glynn, D.
(2014a) The social nature of anger. Multivariate corpus evidence for context effects upon conceptual structure. In P. Blumenthal, I. Novakova & D. Siepmann (Eds.), Les émotions dans le discours. Emotions in discourse (pp. 69–82). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
(2014b) Correspondence analysis. Exploring correlations in multifactorial data. In D. Glynn & J. Robinson (Eds.), Corpus methods for semantics: Quantitative studies in polysemy and synonymy (pp. 443–486). Amsterdam & Philadephia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Glynn, D., & Fischer, K.
(Eds.) (2010) Quantitative methods in cognitive semantics: Corpus-driven approaches. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Glynn, D., & Robinson, J.
(Eds.) (2014) Corpus methods for semantics: Quantitative studies in polysemy and synonymy. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gries, S. T.
(2003) Multifactorial analysis in corpus linguistics: A study of particle placement. London: Continuum Press.Google Scholar
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E.
(2009) Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G.
(1980) Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
(2001) Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Kövecses, Z.
(1986) Metaphors of anger, pride, and love. A lexical approach to the structure of concepts. Amsterdam & Philadephia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Krawczak, K.
(2014) Shame and its near-synonyms in English: A multivariate corpus-driven approach to social emotions. In P. Blumenthal, I. Novakova & D. Siepmann (Eds.), Les émotions dans le discours. Emotions in discourse (pp. 83–94). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Langacker, R. W.
(1988) A usage-based model. In B. Rudzka-Ostyn (Ed.), Topics in Cognitive Linguistics (pp. 127–161). Amsterdam & Philadephia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lewis, M.
(1993) Self-conscious emotions: Embarrassment, pride, shame, and guilt. In J. M. Haviland-Jones & M. Lewis (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (pp. 541–568). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
(1997) The self in self-conscious emotions. ln J. G. Snodgrass & R. L. Thompson (Eds.), The self across psychology: Self-recognition, self-awareness, and the self concept (pp. 119–142). New York: New York Academy of Sciences.Google Scholar
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S.
(1991) Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 981, 224–253. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mesquita, B., Frijda, N. H., & Scherer, K. R.
(1997) Culture and emotion. In J. W. Berry, P. R. Dasen & T. S. Saraswathi (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology, Volume 2: Basic processes and human development (pp. 255–297). Needham Heights, MA: Alyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Mortillaro, M., Ricci-Bitti, P., Bellelli, G., & Galati, D.
(2013) Pride is not created equal: Variations between Northern and Southern Italy. In J. J. R. Fontaine, K. Scherer & C. Soriano (Eds.), Components of emotional meaning. A sourcebook (pp. 366–376). Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ogarkova, A., Soriano, C., & Lehr, C.
(2012) Naming feeling: Exploring the equivalence of emotion terms in five European languages. In P. A. Wilson (Ed.), Dynamicity in emotion concepts (pp. 253–284). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Peduzzi, P., Concato, J., Kemper, E., Holford, T., & Feinstein, A.
(1996) A simulation study of the number of events per variable in logistic regression analysis. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 49(12), 1373–1379. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Quadros, A.
(1967) O espírito da cultura portuguesa. Lisboa: Sociedade de Expansão Cultural.Google Scholar
Real, M.
(2017) Traços fundamentais da cultura portuguesa. Lisboa: Planeta.Google Scholar
Rodriguez Mosquera, P. M., Manstead, A. S. R., & Fischer, A. H.
(2000) The role of honor-related values in the elicitation, experience, and communication of pride, shame, and anger: Spain and the Netherlands compared. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 261, 833–844. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Russel, J. A.
(1991) Culture and the categorization of emotions. Psychological Bulletin, 1101, 426–450. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Santos, B. S.
(1993) Modernidade, identidade e cultura de fronteira. Tempo Social, 5(1–2), 31–52. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Scollon, C. N., Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R.
(2004) Emotions across cultures and methods. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 351, 304–326. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sharifian, F.
(2011) Cultural conceptualizations and language: Theoretical framework and applications. Amsterdam & Philadephia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2015) Cultural linguistics. In F. Sharifian (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of language and culture (pp. 473–492). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
(2017) Advances in Cultural Linguistics. Singapore: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Soares da Silva, A.
(Ed.) (2014) Pluricentricity. Language variation and sociocognitive dimensions. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.Google Scholar
Stipek, D.
(1998) Differences between Americans and Chinese in the circumstances evoking pride, shame, and guilt. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 291, 616–629. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tangney, J. P., & Tracy, J.
(2012) Self-conscious emotions. In M. Leary & J. P. Tangney (Eds.), Handbook of self and identity (pp. 446–480). New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Taylor, G.
(1985) Pride, shame and guilt: Emotions of self-assessment. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Tissari, H.
(2006) Justified pride? Metaphors of the word pride in English language corpora 1918–1991. Nordic Journal of English Studies, 5(1), 15–49. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W.
(2004) Putting the self into self-conscious emotions: A theoretical model. Psychological Inquiry, 151, 103–125. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2007) The psychological structure of pride: A tale of two facets. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 921, 506–525. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
van Osch, Y. M. J., Breugelmans, S. M., Zeelenberg, M., & Fontaine, J. J. R.
(2013) The meaning of pride across cultures. In J. J. R. Fontaine, K. Scherer & C. Soriano (Eds.), Components of emotional meaning. A sourcebook (pp. 377–387). Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vittinghoff, E., & McCulloch, C.
(2007) Relaxing the rule of ten events per variable in logistic and Cox regression. American Journal of Epidemiology, 165(6), 710–718. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wilson, P. A., & Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, B.
(2017) Pride in British English and Polish: A cultural-linguistic perspective. In F. Sharifian (Ed.), Advances in Cultural Linguistics (pp. 247–288). Singapore: Springer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Soares da Silva, Augusto
2021. Measuring the impact of (non)figurativity in the cultural conceptualization of emotions in the two main national varieties of Portuguese. In Figurative Language – Intersubjectivity and Usage [Figurative Thought and Language, 11], ► pp. 387 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 17 april 2022. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.