Semantics : Primes and Universals: Primes and UniversalsOxford University Press, UK, Mar 28, 1996 - 512 pages 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 - |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
Semantics Culture and Cognition Cognitive | 6 |
Semantic Primitives or Primes | 9 |
Lexical Universals | 13 |
Innate Concepts and Language Acquisition | 16 |
The Universal Syntax of Meaning | 19 |
The Natural Semantic Metalanguage NSM | 22 |
Semantic Invariants | 24 |
Macrowhite and Macroblack | 318 |
Macrored and Grue | 322 |
Names of Mixed Colours | 325 |
Brown | 327 |
Names of Specific Locally Salient Referents | 329 |
Chromatology Cognition and Culture | 330 |
The Semantics of Natural Kinds | 335 |
Abstract Concepts and Concrete Concepts | 337 |
Methodological Issues | 25 |
Past Present and Future of NSM Semantic Theory | 31 |
A Survey of Semantic Primitives | 35 |
I YOU SOMEONE SOMETHING PEOPLE | 36 |
THIS THE SAME OTHER | 42 |
ONE TWO MANY MUCH ALL | 44 |
THINK KNOW WANT FEEL | 48 |
SAY | 50 |
GOOD and BAD | 51 |
BIG and SMALL | 54 |
WHEN BEFORE AFTER | 56 |
WHERE UNDER ABOVE | 58 |
PART OF and KIND OF | 60 |
NOT CAN VERY | 64 |
IF BECAUSE LIKE | 68 |
B NEW PRIMITIVES | 73 |
SOME and MORE | 74 |
SEE and HEAR | 78 |
MOVE THERE IS LIVE | 82 |
How to Draw the Line In Philip Davis ed | 98 |
Prototypes and Invariants | 148 |
A Semantic Basis for Grammatical Typology In Werner Abraham Talmy Givon | 179 |
Semantics and Primitive Thought | 184 |
Semantic Complexity and the Role of Ostension in | 211 |
Against Against Definitions | 237 |
Semantics and Lexicography | 258 |
Saying Something that is not True | 260 |
Saying Something that is Superfluous | 261 |
Confusing Meaning with Knowledge | 262 |
Definitions which are too Broad | 263 |
Capturing the Invariant | 264 |
Standing Firmly on the Ground of Discreteness | 267 |
Distinguishing Polysemy from Vagueness | 270 |
Avoiding Circularity | 274 |
Relying on Indefinables | 278 |
Using Simple Language | 282 |
Exploring New Models of Definition | 283 |
Conclusion | 286 |
The Meaning of Colour Terms and the Universals of Seeing | 287 |
Meaning and Scientific Knowledge | 290 |
Meaning and Colour Charts | 294 |
Meaning and Psychological Reality | 297 |
Colour Terms as Quotations | 298 |
Black and White Dark and Light | 301 |
Green gwyrdd Welsh latuy Hanunóo | 306 |
Blue niebieski Polish goluboj and sinij Russian aoi Japanese and fáa Thai | 309 |
Red and Yellow | 314 |
Scientific Knowledge versus Everyday Knowledge | 338 |
Folk Mice versus Scientific Mice | 340 |
The Evidence for the Folk Concept | 344 |
General Discussion | 347 |
Conclusion | 349 |
Semantics and Ethnobiology | 351 |
Tools and Methods | 353 |
Types of Linguistic Evidence | 355 |
Life Forms in English Folk Zoology | 358 |
Are there Monogeneric Life Forms? | 360 |
Life Forms in English Folk Botany | 361 |
Polytypic Genera | 365 |
Gestalts and Distinctive Features | 366 |
Hidden Natures and Proper Names | 367 |
Similar or Radically Different? | 370 |
Conclusion | 374 |
THE SEMANTICS OF GRAMMAR | 377 |
Semantic Rules in Grammar | 379 |
The Past Practice | 381 |
Dual Nouns and Absolute Predictiveness | 383 |
Evidence for Different Conceptualizations | 386 |
The Mystery of Scales | 387 |
Predictiveness and Different Languages | 390 |
Different Cultures Different Conceptualizations | 395 |
The Semantics of Gender | 397 |
The Unconscious Character of Semantic Rules | 399 |
Conclusion | 400 |
Transitivity and Reflexives | 402 |
The Uniqueness of Grammatical and Semantic Systems | 404 |
Typology and Semantics | 407 |
Reflexive Constructions | 409 |
Transitive Constructions | 420 |
Conclusion | 425 |
The Semantics of Evidentials | 427 |
Kashaya | 428 |
Quechua | 434 |
Wintu | 439 |
Maricopa | 446 |
Bulgarian and Macedonian | 451 |
Conclusion | 456 |
A Summary of the Formulae | 457 |
References | 459 |
The Meaning of Evidentials in a Crosslinguistic | 463 |
Semantic Primitives and Semantic Fields | 468 |
488 | |
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Common terms and phrases
animal applies argued Arrernte Atran Australian Aboriginal languages Australian language basic bird blue bread Chapter claim clause clearly Cliff Goddard clitic cognitive colour terms combination complex component concepts construction contrast cross-linguistic cultural dark defined definition dictionary discussion distinction encoded English word evidence evidential example explication exponents expression fact fire folk taxonomy formula glosses Goddard and Wierzbicka green guage Hanunóo happened hear human idea imply indefinable intuitively kind knowledge Leibniz lexicographic lexicon linguistic linked Marrithiyel meaning mice natural language Natural Semantic Metalanguage notion noun object ostension Papuan language particular person phrase Pitjantjatjara plural plurale tantum Polish polysemy proposed prototypical Quechua question reference reflexive role semantic invariant sense sentences someone speaker speaking suffix suggest syntactic syntax tences theory things thought tion tree universal semantic primitives verb Warlpiri whereas Wierzbicka 1985 Wierzbicka 1994b Wintu Yankunytjatjara