Cross-linguistic SemanticsCliff Goddard Cross-linguistic semantics investigating how languages package and express meanings differently is central to the linguistic quest to understand the nature of human language. This set of studies explores and demonstrates cross-linguistic semantics as practised in the natural semantic metalanguage (NSM) framework, originated by Anna Wierzbicka. The opening chapters give a state-of-the-art overview of the NSM model, propose several theoretical innovations and advance a number of original analyses in connection with names and naming, clefts and other specificational sentences, and discourse anaphora. Subsequent chapters describe and analyse diverse phenomena in ten languages from multiple families, geographical locations, and cultural settings around the globe. Three substantial studies document how the metalanguage of NSM semantic primes can be realised in languages of widely differing types: Amharic (Ethiopia), Korean, and East Cree. Each constitutes a lexicogrammatical portrait in miniature of the language concerned. Other chapters probe topics such as inalienable possession in Koromu (Papua New Guinea), epistemic verbs in Swedish, hyperpolysemy in Bunuba (Australia), the expression of "momentariness" in Berber, ethnogeometry in Makasai (East Timor), value concepts in Russian, and virtuous emotions in Japanese. This book will be valuable for linguists working on language description, lexical semantics, or the semantics of grammar, for advanced students of linguistics, and for others interested in language universals and language diversity. |
Contents
Cliff Goddard | 1 |
5 | 26 |
Complex constructions involving specificational | 49 |
3 | 55 |
3 | 62 |
6 | 69 |
Logical concepts | 76 |
Scalar modification | 77 |
Life and death | 147 |
Some theoretical challenges | 176 |
Missing exponents and combinations | 184 |
Using Cree NSM | 197 |
Problems in semantic metalanguage | 203 |
Hyperpolysemy of simple verb MA | 209 |
Naming places | 215 |
Concluding remarks | 221 |
Further work | 78 |
Whole metalanguage studies 4 Semantic primes in Amharic | 83 |
Substantives | 85 |
Determiners | 87 |
Quantifiers | 89 |
Evaluators | 91 |
Descriptors | 92 |
Speech | 97 |
Actions events movement contact | 99 |
Location existence possession specification | 102 |
Life and death | 104 |
Time | 106 |
Space | 110 |
Logical concepts | 113 |
Intensifier and augmentor | 115 |
Taxonomy and partonomy | 116 |
Similarity | 117 |
Concluding remarks | 118 |
The Natural Semantic Metalanguage of Korean | 121 |
Substantives | 123 |
Determiners | 127 |
Quantifiers | 129 |
Evaluators | 133 |
Descriptors | 134 |
Mental predicates | 135 |
Speech | 139 |
Actions events movement contact | 141 |
Location existence possession specification | 143 |
Exponents of the same semantic prime | 228 |
Languagespecific peculiarities of English think | 233 |
Using Swedish NSM to explicate English epistemic verbs | 235 |
Conclusions | 238 |
Identification and syntax of semantic prime MOMENT in Tarifyt Berber | 241 |
Typological overview of Tarifyt Berber | 242 |
Semantic primes in Tarifyt Berber | 246 |
Semantic prime MOMENT in Tarifyt Berber | 250 |
Concluding remarks | 256 |
Semantic studies across languages 10 The ethnogeometry of Makasai East Timor | 259 |
Previous NSM studies on shape | 262 |
Shapeoriented sets in Makasai | 263 |
Semantic analysis of Makasai shape adjectives | 264 |
Conclusions | 274 |
The semantics of inalienable possession in Koromu PNG | 277 |
Koromu personnumber forms | 279 |
Parts of things | 281 |
Kinship | 283 |
Partially animate nominal constructions | 288 |
Conclusions | 296 |
New and traditional values in Russian in comparison with English | 301 |
Terpet and terpimyj | 304 |
To tolerate and tolerant in English | 317 |
Tolerantnyj and tolerantnost in contemporary Russian | 324 |
Concluding remarks | 326 |
Nasakejoo and jihi | 331 |
349 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Amharic Amsterdam animate Anna Wierzbicka appear argument attitude Berber body chapter clause Cliff combination comparative complement complex component concepts considered constructions contexts cultural describe discussed East Cree elements Empirical English equivalent event example existence explication exponent expression fact feel Findings frame function further Goddard Grammar hand happened head human identify important inanimate indicates inside John Benjamins kind Korean language lexical Linguistics live Makasai marked meaning metalanguage molecules MOVE names natural nominal Note noun object occur option particle particular person phrase possession possible predicate present Press pronoun properties proposed quantifiers refer relationship respectively Russian seems semantic primes sense sentence shape shown side similar situation someone speakers specificational structure substantive suffix syntactic Table terpet Theory thing tolerant touch transitive University verb Wierzbicka eds word