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
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgements | p. ix
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List of contributors | pp. xi–xii
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List of abbreviations | p. xiii
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Typographical conventions and symbols | p. xv
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PrefaceAnna Wierzbicka | pp. 1–6
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Scope and contents of this volumeBert Peeters | pp. 7–12
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The Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach: An overview with reference to the most important Romance languagesCliff Goddard and Bert Peeters | pp. 13–38
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Part 1: Romance versions of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Part 2: The Natural Semantic Metalanguage Applied
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Sfogarsi: A semantic analysis of an Italian speech routine and its underlying cultural valuesBrigid Maher | pp. 207–233
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Portuguese saudade and other emotions of absence and longingPatrick Farrell | pp. 235–258
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The development of a key word: The deictic field of Spanish crisisDeborah DuBartell | pp. 259–287
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The French connector certes: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage interpretationMonique A. Burston | pp. 289–305
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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
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Towards a description of Spanish and Italian diminutives within the Natural Semantic Metalanguage frameworkAngela Bartens and Niclas Sandström | pp. 331–360
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Indexes | pp. 361–374
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Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CF: Linguistics
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General