Why is smell special?
-
Åke Viberg
Abstract
Recent typological studies have described a number of languages with a rich inventory of abstract odor terms, which stand in stark contrast to Swedish and other European languages that are considered to have poor systems of such terms. However, there have been few thorough descriptions of the odor terms of any European language. This chapter presents a detailed corpus-based description of the noun lukt ‘smell’ and the verbs lukta ‘to smell’, stinka ‘to stink’, dofta ‘to smell good’ and osa ‘to smell of burnt fat’. In addition to the description of the lexico-grammatical structure, there is a detailed discussion of the way odor is talked about in Swedish based on word sketches. Unlike colors, which are treated as objective properties of physical objects, odors are often talked about as sensations that evoke affective reactions in humans. Odors are also often talked about as characteristic features of whole situations. The chapter ends with a discussion of what it is that makes smell special with respect to the other senses.
Abstract
Recent typological studies have described a number of languages with a rich inventory of abstract odor terms, which stand in stark contrast to Swedish and other European languages that are considered to have poor systems of such terms. However, there have been few thorough descriptions of the odor terms of any European language. This chapter presents a detailed corpus-based description of the noun lukt ‘smell’ and the verbs lukta ‘to smell’, stinka ‘to stink’, dofta ‘to smell good’ and osa ‘to smell of burnt fat’. In addition to the description of the lexico-grammatical structure, there is a detailed discussion of the way odor is talked about in Swedish based on word sketches. Unlike colors, which are treated as objective properties of physical objects, odors are often talked about as sensations that evoke affective reactions in humans. Odors are also often talked about as characteristic features of whole situations. The chapter ends with a discussion of what it is that makes smell special with respect to the other senses.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface and acknowledgments vii
- List of contributors ix
- Rendering what the nose perceives 1
- Why is smell special? 35
- The domain of olfaction in Basque 73
- On olfactory terminology in Georgian and other Kartvelian languages 113
- Let me count the ways it stinks 137
- Olfactory, gustatory and tactile perception in Beja (North-Cushitic) 175
- How to smell without a verb “to smell” in Fon 199
- How to talk about smell in Japanese 221
- An overview of olfactory expressions in Formosan languages 251
- Olfactory words in northern Vanuatu 277
- Alternating smell in Modern Hebrew 305
- Syntactic patterns for Romanian olfactive verbs 343
- Smelling over time 369
- To what extent can source-based olfactory verbs be classified as copulas? 403
- Typology of metaphors with the olfactory target domain in the Polish perfumery discourse 449
- Languages index 475
- Subjects index 477
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface and acknowledgments vii
- List of contributors ix
- Rendering what the nose perceives 1
- Why is smell special? 35
- The domain of olfaction in Basque 73
- On olfactory terminology in Georgian and other Kartvelian languages 113
- Let me count the ways it stinks 137
- Olfactory, gustatory and tactile perception in Beja (North-Cushitic) 175
- How to smell without a verb “to smell” in Fon 199
- How to talk about smell in Japanese 221
- An overview of olfactory expressions in Formosan languages 251
- Olfactory words in northern Vanuatu 277
- Alternating smell in Modern Hebrew 305
- Syntactic patterns for Romanian olfactive verbs 343
- Smelling over time 369
- To what extent can source-based olfactory verbs be classified as copulas? 403
- Typology of metaphors with the olfactory target domain in the Polish perfumery discourse 449
- Languages index 475
- Subjects index 477
