Semantic Primes and Universal Grammar
Empirical evidence from the Romance languages
Editor
This volume is part of a research program which started with the publication, in 1972, of Anna Wierzbicka’s groundbreaking work on Semantic Primitives. The first within the program to focus on a number of typologically similar languages, it proposes a French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian version of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) elaborated over the years by Wierzbicka and colleagues. Repetition is avoided through teamwork: a number of authors working on the languages under examination have had equal input in a set of five papers dealing with distinct parts of the metalanguage. Some of the findings presented here invite us to have a fresh look at what has already been achieved, and to amend some of the working hypotheses of the NSM approach accordingly. The volume also contains six case studies (on Italian sfogarsi, Portuguese saudades, Spanish crisis, French certes, Spanish expressions of sincerity and Italian and Spanish diminutives, respectively).
[Studies in Language Companion Series, 81] 2006. xvi, 374 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 1 July 2008
Published online on 1 July 2008
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
-
Acknowledgements | p. ix
-
List of contributors | pp. xi–xii
-
List of abbreviations | p. xiii
-
Typographical conventions and symbols | p. xv
-
PrefaceAnna Wierzbicka | pp. 1–6
-
Scope and contents of this volumeBert Peeters | pp. 7–12
-
The Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach: An overview with reference to the most important Romance languagesCliff Goddard and Bert Peeters | pp. 13–38
-
Part 1: Romance versions of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage
-
Natural Semantic Metalanguage exponents and universal grammar in Romance: Substantives; determines; quantifiersBert Peeters, Marie-Odile Junker, Catherine E. Travis, Patrick Farrell, Pedro Perini-Santos and Brigid Maher | pp. 41–77
-
Natural Semantic Metalanguage exponents and universal grammar in Romance: Evaluators and descriptors; mental predicatesBert Peeters, Marie-Odile Junker, Catherine E. Travis, Patrick Farrell, Pedro Perini-Santos and Brigid Maher | pp. 79–109
-
Natural Semantic Metalanguage exponents and universal grammar in Romance: Speech; actions, events and movement; existence and possession; life and deathBert Peeters, Marie-Odile Junker, Patrick Farrell, Pedro Perini-Santos and Brigid Maher | pp. 111–136
-
Natural Semantic Metalanguage exponents and universal grammar in Romance: Time and spaceBert Peeters, Marie-Odile Junker, Patrick Farrell, Pedro Perini-Santos and Brigid Maher | pp. 137–175
-
Natural Semantic Metalanguage exponents and universal grammar in Romance: Logical concepts; intensifier and augmentor; taxonomy and partonomy; similarityBert Peeters, Marie-Odile Junker, Patrick Farrell, Pedro Perini-Santos and Brigid Maher | pp. 177–204
-
Part 2: The Natural Semantic Metalanguage Applied
-
Sfogarsi: A semantic analysis of an Italian speech routine and its underlying cultural valuesBrigid Maher | pp. 207–233
-
Portuguese saudade and other emotions of absence and longingPatrick Farrell | pp. 235–258
-
The development of a key word: The deictic field of Spanish crisisDeborah DuBartell | pp. 259–287
-
The French connector certes: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage interpretationMonique A. Burston | pp. 289–305
-
Francamente, el rojo te sienta fatal: Semantics and pragmatics of some expressions of sincerity in present-day SpanishMónica Aznárez Mauleón and Ramón González Ruiz | pp. 307–330
-
Towards a description of Spanish and Italian diminutives within the Natural Semantic Metalanguage frameworkAngela Bartens and Niclas Sandström | pp. 331–360
-
Indexes | pp. 361–374
Cited by (77)
Cited by 77 other publications
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko & Robert F. Cavanagh
2024. Chapter 3. A Japanese pragmatics of danger. In The Cultural Pragmatics of Danger [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 346], ► pp. 41 ff. 
Aznárez Mauleón, Mónica
2024. Chapter 4. New social categories in dangerous times. In The Cultural Pragmatics of Danger [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 346], ► pp. 64 ff.
Aznárez-Mauleón, Mónica
2020. La fórmula de rechazo¡Vete a … !en español peninsular. Una propuesta de análisis desde la Metalengua Semántica Natural (NSM). Pragmática Sociocultural / Sociocultural Pragmatics 7:3 ► pp. 421 ff.
Arab, Reza
2022. Cultural semantics of the ‘salt’ word in Persian. International Journal of Language and Culture 9:1 ► pp. 119 ff.
Veliz, Leonardo & Scott Smith
2021. Teachability of Figurative Language: Teachers’ Perceptions of the Role of Metaphor in English Language Teaching in Chile. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal 23:2 ► pp. 141 ff.
Wong, Jock & Marshal Or
Allan, Keith
2020. On the semantics of cup. In Meaning, Life and Culture: In conversation with Anna Wierzbicka, ► pp. 441 ff.
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko & Gian Marco Farese
2020. In Staunch Pursuit: The Semantics of the Japanese Terms Shūkatsu ‘Job Hunting’ and Konkatsu ‘Marriage Partner Hunting’. In Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication, ► pp. 17 ff.
Fernández, Susana S.
2020. Una introducción a la teoría de la Metalengua Semántica Natural (NSM) y su aplicación a la pragmática. Pragmática Sociocultural / Sociocultural Pragmatics 7:3 ► pp. 397 ff.
Fernández, Susana S. & Cliff Goddard
2020. Una aproximación al estilo comunicativo de cercanía interpersonal del español a partir de la teoría de la Metalengua Semántica Natural. Pragmática Sociocultural / Sociocultural Pragmatics 7:3 ► pp. 469 ff.
Forbes, Alexander
2020. Using Minimal English to Model a Parental Understanding of Autism. In Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication, ► pp. 143 ff.
Goddard, Cliff & Kerry Mullan
2020. Explicating verbs for “laughing with other people” in French and English (and why it matters for humour studies). HUMOR 33:1 ► pp. 55 ff.
Sadow, Lauren & Kerry Mullan
2020. A Brief Introduction to the Natural Semantic Metalanguage Approach. In Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication, ► pp. 13 ff.
Trnavac, Radoslava & Maite Taboada
2020. Positive Appraisal in Online News Comments. In Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication, ► pp. 185 ff.
Goddard, Cliff, Maite Taboada & Radoslava Trnavac
Martín Arista, Javier
2018. The semantic poles of Old English: Toward the 3D representation of complex polysemy. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities 33:1 ► pp. 96 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna & Cliff Goddard
2018. Talking about our Bodies and their Parts in Warlpiri. Australian Journal of Linguistics 38:1 ► pp. 31 ff.
Levisen, Carsten & Karime Aragón
2017. Chapter 14. Lexicalization patterns in core vocabulary. In Creole Studies – Phylogenetic Approaches, ► pp. 315 ff.
Levisen, Carsten & Kristoffer Friis Bøegh
2017. Chapter 13. Cognitive creolistics and semantic primes. In Creole Studies – Phylogenetic Approaches, ► pp. 293 ff.
Levisen, Carsten, Carol Priestley, Sophie Nicholls & Yonatan Goldshtein
2017. Chapter 15. The semantics of Englishes and Creoles. In Creole Studies – Phylogenetic Approaches, ► pp. 345 ff.
Levisen, Carsten & Sophia Waters
2017. Chapter 1. How words do things with people. In Cultural Keywords in Discourse [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 277], ► pp. 1 ff.
Mattos, Ana Paulla Braga
2017. Chapter 7. Subúrbio and suburbanos. In Cultural Keywords in Discourse [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 277], ► pp. 157 ff.
Gladkova, Anna
2016. Propositional Attitudes and Cultural Scripts. In Interdisciplinary Studies in Pragmatics, Culture and Society [Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, 4], ► pp. 329 ff.
Gladkova, Anna
2023. Natural Semantic Metalanguage and Context. In The Cambridge Handbook of Language in Context, ► pp. 225 ff.
GLADKOVA, ANNA, ULLA VANHATALO & CLIFF GODDARD
2016. The semantics of interjections: An experimental study with natural semantic metalanguage. Applied Psycholinguistics 37:4 ► pp. 841 ff.
Goddard, Cliff, Anna Wierzbicka & Jock Wong
2016. “Walking” and “running” in English and German. Review of Cognitive Linguistics 14:2 ► pp. 303 ff.
PELED, YAEL & MATTEO BONOTTI
2016. Tongue-Tied: Rawls, Political Philosophy and Metalinguistic Awareness. American Political Science Review 110:4 ► pp. 798 ff.
Wong, Jock
2016. A Critical Look at the Description of Speech Acts. In Interdisciplinary Studies in Pragmatics, Culture and Society [Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, 4], ► pp. 825 ff.
Wong, Jock
2016. The Pragmatics of Kéyĭ (“Can”) in Singapore Mandarin. In Interdisciplinary Studies in Pragmatics, Culture and Society [Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, 4], ► pp. 857 ff.
Wong, Jock
2022. Explaining COVID-19-Related Concepts in Singapore: A Minimal Language Approach. In COVID-19 and a World of Ad Hoc Geographies, ► pp. 2435 ff.
Wong, Jock
2024. Resemblance by meaning and culture between Singapore English and Singapore Mandarin. Intercultural Pragmatics 21:3 ► pp. 451 ff.
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko
2014. Linguistic manifestation of gender reinforcement through the use of the Japanese term kawaii. Gender and Language 8:3 ► pp. 341 ff.
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko
2014. Japanese interpretations of “pain” and the use of psychomimes. International Journal of Language and Culture 1:2 ► pp. 216 ff.
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko
2016. Japanese interpretations of “pain” and the use of psychomimes. In "Happiness" and "Pain" across Languages and Cultures [Benjamins Current Topics, 84], ► pp. 87 ff.
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko
2017. Chapter 9. Kawaii discourse. In Cultural Keywords in Discourse [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 277], ► pp. 211 ff.
Asano-Cavanagh, Yuko
2020. Lost in translation: A semantic analysis of no da in Japanese. In Meaning, Life and Culture: In conversation with Anna Wierzbicka, ► pp. 229 ff.
Baider, Fabienne
2014. Bad feelings in context. In Linguistic Approaches to Emotions in Context [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 241], ► pp. 189 ff.
Baider, Fabienne & Georgeta Cislaru
2014. Linguistic approaches to emotion in context. In Linguistic Approaches to Emotions in Context [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 241], ► pp. 1 ff.
Freund, Michael
2014. On Categorial Membership. Erkenntnis 79:5 ► pp. 1045 ff.
Rilliard, Albert, Donna Erickson, João Antônio de Moraes & Takaaki Shochi
2014. Cross-cultural perception of some Japanese politeness and impoliteness expressions*. In Linguistic Approaches to Emotions in Context [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 241], ► pp. 251 ff.
Levisen, Carsten
2013. On Pigs and People: The Porcine Semantics of Danish Interaction and Cognition. Australian Journal of Linguistics 33:3 ► pp. 344 ff.
Levisen, Carsten
2021. The syntax of something: Evaluative affordances ofnogetin Danish construction grammar. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 44:1 ► pp. 3 ff.
Bromhead, Helen
2011. The Bushin Australian English. Australian Journal of Linguistics 31:4 ► pp. 445 ff.
Goddard, Cliff & Anna Wierzbicka
2011. Semantics and cognition. WIREs Cognitive Science 2:2 ► pp. 125 ff.
Goddard, Cliff & Anna Wierzbicka
Goddard, Cliff & Anna Wierzbicka
2016. Explicating the English lexicon of ‘doing and happening’. Functions of Language 23:2 ► pp. 214 ff.
Habib, Sandy
2011. Ghosts,Fairies,Elves, andNymphs: Towards a Semantic Template for Non-Human Being Concepts. Australian Journal of Linguistics 31:4 ► pp. 411 ff.
Habib, Sandy
2014. Dying in the Cause of God: The Semantics of the Christian and Muslim Concepts ofMartyr. Australian Journal of Linguistics 34:3 ► pp. 388 ff.
Habib, Sandy
2017. Dying for a Cause Other Than God: Exploring the Non-religious Meanings ofMartyrandShahīd. Australian Journal of Linguistics 37:3 ► pp. 314 ff.
Habib, Sandy
2020. Heaven and Hell Are Here! The Non-religious Meanings of English Heaven and Hell and Their Arabic and Hebrew Counterparts. In Studies in Ethnopragmatics, Cultural Semantics, and Intercultural Communication, ► pp. 149 ff.
Habib, Sandy
2022. On the verge of extinction: the semantics, pragmatics, and etymology of eight endangered similes in Jish Arabic. Intercultural Pragmatics 19:4 ► pp. 513 ff.
Habib, Sandy
Habib, Sandy
2023. Tense-aspect constructions in Jish Arabic: Morphological, syntactic, and semantic features. Russian Journal of Linguistics 27:2 ► pp. 363 ff.
Habib, Sandy
Habib, Sandy
2024. The Days After the Funeral: An Ethnolinguistic Analysis of Christian Post-Funeral Death Practices in Jish (Northern Israel). OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying
Goddard, Cliff
2009. The ‘Communication Concept’ and the ‘Language Concept’ in Everyday English. Australian Journal of Linguistics 29:1 ► pp. 11 ff.
Goddard, Cliff
2013. The Semantic Roots and Cultural Grounding of ‘Social Cognition’. Australian Journal of Linguistics 33:3 ► pp. 245 ff.
Goddard, Cliff
2014. Interjections and Emotion (with Special Reference to “Surprise” and “Disgust”). Emotion Review 6:1 ► pp. 53 ff.
Goddard, Cliff
2014. Author Reply. Emotion Review 6:1 ► pp. 66 ff.
Goddard, Cliff
2014. On “Disgust”. In Linguistic Approaches to Emotions in Context [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 241], ► pp. 73 ff.
Goddard, Cliff
2015. “Swear words” and “curse words” in Australian (and American) English. At the crossroads of pragmatics, semantics and sociolinguistics. Intercultural Pragmatics 12:2
Goddard, Cliff
2015. The complex, language-specific semantics of “surprise”. Review of Cognitive Linguistics 13:2 ► pp. 291 ff.
Goddard, Cliff
2024. ‘Long’, ‘flat’, ‘round’, ‘hard’, ‘heavy’, ‘sharp’. Cognitive Linguistic Studies 11:2 ► pp. 251 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2006. Les universaux empiriques du langage : tremplin pour l'étude d'autres universaux humains et outil dans l'exploration de différences transculturelles. Linx :54 ► pp. 151 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2006. Sens et grammaire universelle : théorie et constats empiriques. Linx :54 ► pp. 181 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2009. Exploring English Phraseology with Two Tools. Journal of English Linguistics 37:2 ► pp. 101 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2009. What makes a good life? A cross-linguistic and cross-cultural perspective. The Journal of Positive Psychology 4:4 ► pp. 260 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2010. The “History of Emotions” and the Future of Emotion Research. Emotion Review 2:3 ► pp. 269 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2011. Defining ‘the humanities’. Culture & Psychology 17:1 ► pp. 31 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2011. Arguing in Russian: Why Solzhenitsyn’s Fictional Arguments Defy Translation. Russian Journal of Communication 4:1-2 ► pp. 8 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2012. Is Pain a Human Universal? A Cross-Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Perspective on Pain. Emotion Review 4:3 ► pp. 307 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2015. A whole cloud of culture condensed into a drop of semantics. International Journal of Language and Culture 2:1 ► pp. 1 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2016. Making sense of terms of address in European languages through the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM). Intercultural Pragmatics 13:4 ► pp. 499 ff.
Wierzbicka, Anna
2017. Gdy skrypty kulturowe wchodzą w kolizję: Nieporozumienia komunikacyjne w „wielokulturowej” Australii. In Lingwistyka kulturowa i międzykulturowa. Antologia,
Wierzbicka, Anna
2019. The biblical roots of English ‘love’. International Journal of Language and Culture 6:2 ► pp. 225 ff.
[no author supplied]
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 5 november 2024. 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.
Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CF: Linguistics
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General