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On “Disgust”

Abstract

Using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach, this study explores conceptualisations of "disgust" in English via semantic analysis of descriptive adjectives (disgusted and disgusting) and interjections (Ugh! and Yuck!). As well as drawing out some subtle meaning differences between these expressions, this exercise establishes that there is no one-to-one mapping between the meanings of descriptive emotion lexemes, on the one hand, and expressive interjections, on the other. More broadly, this study seeks to advance the semantic study of “disgust-like” concepts in a cross-linguistic perspective, first, by highlighting aspects of meaning which differ between the English expressions and their near-equivalents in other languages, such as German, French and Polish, and second, by proposing a set of touchstone semantic components that can help facilitate cross-linguistic investigation.

Abstract

Using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach, this study explores conceptualisations of "disgust" in English via semantic analysis of descriptive adjectives (disgusted and disgusting) and interjections (Ugh! and Yuck!). As well as drawing out some subtle meaning differences between these expressions, this exercise establishes that there is no one-to-one mapping between the meanings of descriptive emotion lexemes, on the one hand, and expressive interjections, on the other. More broadly, this study seeks to advance the semantic study of “disgust-like” concepts in a cross-linguistic perspective, first, by highlighting aspects of meaning which differ between the English expressions and their near-equivalents in other languages, such as German, French and Polish, and second, by proposing a set of touchstone semantic components that can help facilitate cross-linguistic investigation.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Linguistic approaches to emotion in context 1
  4. Part I. Emotion, philosophy and language
  5. Emotions 21
  6. Passion, a forgotten feeling 39
  7. Part II. Expressing and interpreting emotion
  8. On “Disgust” 73
  9. A corpus-based construction of emotion verb scales 99
  10. Patterns of allocentric emotional expressions, a contrastive study* 113
  11. The expression of emotions in conditionals 137
  12. Conceptual metaphors of anger in popularized scientific texts 159
  13. Bad feelings in context 189
  14. Part III. Doing emotion
  15. Emotions and prosodic structure 215
  16. Prosody and emotion in Greek 231
  17. Cross-cultural perception of some Japanese politeness and impoliteness expressions* 251
  18. Part IV. Pragmatic use of emotion
  19. Verbal aggressiveness or cooperative support? 279
  20. ‘I must do everything to eliminate my negative attitude’ 309
  21. Language learning and making the mundane special 331
  22. Name index 347
  23. Subject index 355
Linguistic Approaches to Emotions in Context
This chapter is in the book Linguistic Approaches to Emotions in Context
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.241.06god

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Linguistic approaches to emotion in context 1
  4. Part I. Emotion, philosophy and language
  5. Emotions 21
  6. Passion, a forgotten feeling 39
  7. Part II. Expressing and interpreting emotion
  8. On “Disgust” 73
  9. A corpus-based construction of emotion verb scales 99
  10. Patterns of allocentric emotional expressions, a contrastive study* 113
  11. The expression of emotions in conditionals 137
  12. Conceptual metaphors of anger in popularized scientific texts 159
  13. Bad feelings in context 189
  14. Part III. Doing emotion
  15. Emotions and prosodic structure 215
  16. Prosody and emotion in Greek 231
  17. Cross-cultural perception of some Japanese politeness and impoliteness expressions* 251
  18. Part IV. Pragmatic use of emotion
  19. Verbal aggressiveness or cooperative support? 279
  20. ‘I must do everything to eliminate my negative attitude’ 309
  21. Language learning and making the mundane special 331
  22. Name index 347
  23. Subject index 355
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