"Sometimes People Think Something Like This": Anna Wierzbicka ́s Semantic Primitives - An Introduction to the Theory of Semantic Indefinables PDF Download
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Author: Heiko Kumsteller Publisher: GRIN Verlag ISBN: 3638683648 Category : Literary Collections Languages : en Pages : 20
Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,0 ("Good"), Free University of Berlin, course: Meaning in Language, language: English, abstract: For the past twenty something years, hardly a theory has caused as much uproar and discussion in Semantics as Anna Wierzbickas theory of the Semantic Primitives. Her theory, inspired by te works of Leibniz and other inquiries into the relation between language and thought, and first set out in detail in 1972 in her work “Semantic Primitives”, was among the first serious attempts to "establish" a semantic explanation for the connection between the meaning of words in human language and human thought processes: since humans use language as their only known tool to formulate thoughts, it followed that the meaning of words in any given language could only be explained using other words. Wierzbicka took up this idea but concluded that in this process of substitution, that is, of explaining words with other words, it would be logical to try to explain complex terms in ever less complex terms until, at some point, one would end up with a set of words that could not, and needed not be, explained further, words that would yet suffice to explain every other word in a language. Through experimenting, she devised such a set of words and called these the "Semantic Primitives", in reference to their basic simplicity and fundamental position in the relation of thought and language. Over the years, Wirzbicka has constantly refined her theory, and updated the list of Semantic Primitives, and a ever growing number of scholars of Semantics has begun to adopt Wierzbickas theory, making it one of the more popular and widely accepted subcurrents in Semnatics. In this paper, I will try to give a short comprehensive overview on the theory of the Semantic Primitives, try to work out where the strengths and benefits of this theory lie, and where it faces difficulties, and attempt to determine how, or whether, it can be applied for the creation of a Semantic Dictionary.
Author: Heiko Kumsteller Publisher: GRIN Verlag ISBN: 3638683648 Category : Literary Collections Languages : en Pages : 20
Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,0 ("Good"), Free University of Berlin, course: Meaning in Language, language: English, abstract: For the past twenty something years, hardly a theory has caused as much uproar and discussion in Semantics as Anna Wierzbickas theory of the Semantic Primitives. Her theory, inspired by te works of Leibniz and other inquiries into the relation between language and thought, and first set out in detail in 1972 in her work “Semantic Primitives”, was among the first serious attempts to "establish" a semantic explanation for the connection between the meaning of words in human language and human thought processes: since humans use language as their only known tool to formulate thoughts, it followed that the meaning of words in any given language could only be explained using other words. Wierzbicka took up this idea but concluded that in this process of substitution, that is, of explaining words with other words, it would be logical to try to explain complex terms in ever less complex terms until, at some point, one would end up with a set of words that could not, and needed not be, explained further, words that would yet suffice to explain every other word in a language. Through experimenting, she devised such a set of words and called these the "Semantic Primitives", in reference to their basic simplicity and fundamental position in the relation of thought and language. Over the years, Wirzbicka has constantly refined her theory, and updated the list of Semantic Primitives, and a ever growing number of scholars of Semantics has begun to adopt Wierzbickas theory, making it one of the more popular and widely accepted subcurrents in Semnatics. In this paper, I will try to give a short comprehensive overview on the theory of the Semantic Primitives, try to work out where the strengths and benefits of this theory lie, and where it faces difficulties, and attempt to determine how, or whether, it can be applied for the creation of a Semantic Dictionary.
Author: Anna Wierzbicka Publisher: Oxford University Press, UK ISBN: 0191588598 Category : Languages : en Pages : 518
Book Description
This book provides a synthesis of Wierzbicka's theory of meaning, which is based on conceptual primitives and semantic universals, using empirical findings from a wide range of languages. While addressed primarily to linguists, the book deals with highly topical and controversial issues of central importance to several disciplines, including anthropology, psychology, and philosophy. - ;Conceptual primitives and semantic universals are the cornerstones of a semantic theory which Anna Wierzbicka has been developing for many years. Semantics: Primes and Universals is a major synthesis of her work, presenting a full and systematic exposition of that theory in a non-technical and readable way. It delineates a full set of universal concepts, as they have emerged from large-scale investigations across a wide range of languages undertaken by the author and her colleagues. On the basis of empirical cross-linguistic studies it vindicates the old notion of the 'psychic unity of mankind', while at the same time offering a framework for the rigorous description of different languages and cultures. - ;A major synthesis of Anna Wierzbicka's work -
Author: Cliff Goddard Publisher: BRILL ISBN: 9004357726 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 373
Book Description
This lively lecture series by a leading expert introduces the theory, practice and application of a versatile, rigorous and well-developed approach to cross-linguistic semantics: the NSM approach originated by Anna Wierzbicka. Topics include: history and philosophy of the study of meaning, semantic primes and molecules, emotions, evaluation, verbs and event structure, cultural key words and scripts. Case studies come from English, Chinese, Danish, and other languages. Applications in language teaching and intercultural education are also covered, along with comparisons between NSM and other leading approaches to linguistic semantics. The book will appeal to students and scholars of linguistics at all levels, communication and translation scholars, and anyone interested in a systematic and non Anglocentric approach to meaning, culture and cognition.
Author: Helen Bromhead Publisher: ANU Press ISBN: 1760463930 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 534
Book Description
This book is dedicated to Anna Wierzbicka, one of the most influential and innovative linguists of her generation. Her work spans a number of disciplines, including anthropology, cultural psychology, cognitive science, philosophy and religious studies, as well as her home base of linguistics. She is best known for the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach to meaning—a versatile tool for exploring ‘big questions’ concerning the diversity and universals of people’s experience in the world. In this volume, Anna Wierzbicka’s former students, old and current colleagues, ‘kindred spirits’ and ‘sparring partners’ engage with her ideas and diverse body of work. These authors cover topics from the grammar of action verbs to cross-cultural pragmatics, and over 30 languages from around the world are represented. The chapters in Part 1 focus on the NSM approach and cover four themes: lexico-grammatical semantics, cultural keywords, semantics of nouns, and emotion. In Part 2, the contributors connect with a meaning-based approach from their own intellectual perspectives, including syntax, anthropology, cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics. The deep humanistic perspective, wide-ranging themes and interdisciplinary nature of Wierzbicka’s research are reflected in the contributions. The common thread running through all chapters is the primacy of meaning to the understanding of language and culture.
Author: Cliff Goddard Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA ISBN: 0199668434 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 323
Book Description
This book presents cross-linguistic and cross-cultural investigations of word meaning from different domains of the lexicon - concrete, abstract, physical, sensory, emotional, and social. The words they consider are complex, culturally important, and basic, in a range of languages that includes English, Russian, Polish, French, Warlpiri and Malay.
Author: Cliff Goddard Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing ISBN: 9027281874 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 356
Book Description
This book develops a bold new approach to universal grammar, based on research findings of the natural semantic metalanguage (NSM) program. The key idea is that universal grammar is constituted by the inherent grammatical properties of some 60 empirically established semantic primes, which appear to have concrete exponents in all languages. For six typologically divergent languages (Mangaaba-Mbula, Mandarin Chinese, Lao, Malay, Spanish and Polish), contributors identify exponents of the primes and work through a substantial set of hypotheses about their combinatorics, valency properties, complementation options, etc. Each study can also be read as a semantically-based typological profile. Four theoretical chapters by the editors describe the NSM approach and its application to grammatical typology. As a study of empirical universals in grammar, this book is unique for its rigorous semantic orientation, its methodological consistency, and its wealth of cross-linguistic detail.
Author: Kerry Mullan Publisher: Springer Nature ISBN: 9813299835 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 255
Book Description
This book is the first in a three-volume set that celebrates the career and achievements of Cliff Goddard, a pioneer of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage approach in linguistics. In addition, it explores ethnopragmatics and conversational humour, with a further focus on semantic analysis more broadly. Often considered the most fully developed, comprehensive and practical approach to cross-linguistic and cross-cultural semantics, Natural Semantic Metalanguage is based on evidence that there is a small core of basic, universal meanings (semantic primes) that can be expressed in all languages. It has been used for linguistic and cultural analysis in such diverse fields as semantics, cross-cultural communication, language teaching, humour studies and applied linguistics, and has reached far beyond the boundaries of linguistics into ethnopsychology, anthropology, history, political science, the medical humanities and ethics.
Author: Claudia Maienborn Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG ISBN: 3110623137 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 588
Book Description
Discover vital research on the lexical and cognitive meanings of words. In this exciting book from a team of world-class researchers, in-depth articles explain a wide range of topics, including thematic roles, sense relation, ambiguity and comparison. The authors focus on the cognitive and conceptual structure of words and their meaning extensions such as coercion, metaphors and metonymies. The book features highly cited material – available in paperback for the first time since its publication – and is an essential starting point for anyone interested in lexical semantics, especially where it meets other cognitive and conceptual research.
Author: Heiko Kumsteller
Author: Heiko Kumsteller
Author: Anna Wierzbicka
Author: Cliff Goddard
Author: Helen Bromhead
Author: Claudia Maienborn
Author: Cliff Goddard
Author: Cliff Goddard
Author: Kerry Mullan
Author: Danko Šipka
Author: Claudia Maienborn