Overview

"Not everything that can be said in one language can be said in another. The lexicons of different languages seem to suggest different conceptual universes. Investigating cultures from a universal, language-independent perspective, this book rejects analytical tools derived from the English language and Anglo culture and proposes instead a ""natural semantic metalanguage"" formulated in English words but based on lexical universals. The outcome of two and a half decades of research, the metalanguage is made up of universal semantic primitives in terms of which all meanings--including the most culture-specific ones--can be described and compared in a precise and illuminating way. Integrating insights from linguistics, cultural anthropology, and cognitive psychology, and written in simple, non-technical language, Semantics, Culture, and Cognition is accessible not only to scholars and students, but also to the general reader interested in semantics and the relationship between language and culture."

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9780195073263

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Excellent cross-linguistic, cross-cultural penetration into how the mind works. Fascinating analysis of language as a mirror into the workings of the human soul. --Richard L. Wright, Howard University<br> An excellent reader in semantics. --Harold Battersby, SUNY-Geneseo<br> A strong contribution to today's emphasis on multicultural studies. I recommend it strongly to all students of language and culture. --Dr. Gil Clardy, East Texas State Univ.<br> Semantics, Culture, and Cognition is a welcome addition to Wierzbicka's inexhaustible semantic explications. --Australian Journal of Linguistics<br>

Excellent cross-linguistic, cross-cultural penetration into how the mind works. Fascinating analysis of language as a mirror into the workings of the human soul. Richard L. Wright, Howard University

Excellent cross-linguistic, cross-cultural penetration into how the mind works. Fascinating analysis of language as a mirror into the workings of the human soul. --Richard L. Wright, Howard University An excellent reader in semantics. --Harold Battersby, SUNY-Geneseo A strong contribution to today's emphasis on multicultural studies. I recommend it strongly to all students of language and culture. --Dr. Gil Clardy, East Texas State Univ. Semantics, Culture, and Cognition is a welcome addition to Wierzbicka's inexhaustible semantic explications. --Australian Journal of Linguistics Excellent cross-linguistic, cross-cultural penetration into how the mind works. Fascinating analysis of language as a mirror into the workings of the human soul. --Richard L. Wright, Howard University An excellent reader in semantics. --Harold Battersby, SUNY-Geneseo A strong contribution to today's emphasis on multicultural studies. I recommend it strongly to all students of language and culture. --Dr. Gil Clardy, East Texas State Univ. Semantics, Culture, and Cognition is a welcome addition to Wierzbicka's inexhaustible semantic explications. --Australian Journal of Linguistics Astounding in its eclecticism, [the book] has set a standard that exceeds the more traditional approaches used in texts.--Joan Wylie, University of Guam Hard to put down. --Studies in Second Language Acquisition

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