Language and emotion in Merleau-Ponty
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Pauline von Bonsdorff
Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship between language and emotion in Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. Three key aspects stand out. First, sexuality, broadly understood as affectivity and desire, motivates us to address other persons and transcend our situation. Language is rooted in embodiment and is intimately part of us. Second, gesture and expression show how meaning relies on the overall Gestalt of a language and its aesthetic dimensions. Meaning is first musical, and the seemingly transparent has first been expressed in a particular situation. Third, language in early childhood demonstrates how understanding presupposes a willingness to take risks and is an act of participation. For Merleau-Ponty, then, language is primarily speech, and the arts and childhood illuminate its emotional dimension.
Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship between language and emotion in Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. Three key aspects stand out. First, sexuality, broadly understood as affectivity and desire, motivates us to address other persons and transcend our situation. Language is rooted in embodiment and is intimately part of us. Second, gesture and expression show how meaning relies on the overall Gestalt of a language and its aesthetic dimensions. Meaning is first musical, and the seemingly transparent has first been expressed in a particular situation. Third, language in early childhood demonstrates how understanding presupposes a willingness to take risks and is an act of participation. For Merleau-Ponty, then, language is primarily speech, and the arts and childhood illuminate its emotional dimension.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction vii
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Theory
- The developmental psychology and neuropsychology of emotion in language 3
- Primal emotions and cultural evolution of language: 27
- Emotion on board 49
- The origins of emotion and language from the perspective of developmental neuropsychology 69
- Language and emotion in Merleau-Ponty 99
- Enkinaesthetic polyphony: 113
- Emotion in language 135
- Language and emotion 157
- Prosodic clustering in speech: From emotional to semantic processes 175
- Embodied language and the process of language learning and teaching 191
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Research
- Research on the relationship between language and emotion - A descriptive overview 211
- Word valence and its effects 241
- The occurrence of idioms in the emotion lexicon of children 257
- "Without language, everything is chaos and confusion ..." 273
- Giving horror a name 289
- Mediated emotions 305
- Silences as a linguistic strategy Remarks on the role of the unsaid in romantic relationships on the internet 325
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Application
- Gradients of plasticity 343
- Mood, aphasia, and affective language comprehension 367
- What words can’t tell: 399
- Affective and internal state language in high-functioning autism 421
- Epilogue 445
- Index 453
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction vii
-
Theory
- The developmental psychology and neuropsychology of emotion in language 3
- Primal emotions and cultural evolution of language: 27
- Emotion on board 49
- The origins of emotion and language from the perspective of developmental neuropsychology 69
- Language and emotion in Merleau-Ponty 99
- Enkinaesthetic polyphony: 113
- Emotion in language 135
- Language and emotion 157
- Prosodic clustering in speech: From emotional to semantic processes 175
- Embodied language and the process of language learning and teaching 191
-
Research
- Research on the relationship between language and emotion - A descriptive overview 211
- Word valence and its effects 241
- The occurrence of idioms in the emotion lexicon of children 257
- "Without language, everything is chaos and confusion ..." 273
- Giving horror a name 289
- Mediated emotions 305
- Silences as a linguistic strategy Remarks on the role of the unsaid in romantic relationships on the internet 325
-
Application
- Gradients of plasticity 343
- Mood, aphasia, and affective language comprehension 367
- What words can’t tell: 399
- Affective and internal state language in high-functioning autism 421
- Epilogue 445
- Index 453
