Cultural Semantics and Social Cognition (eBook)

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Carsten Levisen, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Preface 9
Acknowledgments 11
Figures and tables 17
Conventions and symbols 19
Chapter 1. Danish as a universe of meaning 21
1.1 Introduction 21
1.2 Overview 24
1.3 Language and cultural values 26
1.4 Danish identity, culture and language 31
1.4.1 The new concepts dansk ‘Danish’ and sprog ‘language’ 33
1.4.2 Grundtvigianism and the peculiarities of Danish enlightenment 37
1.4.3 Scandinavian unity and diversity 40
1.5 Approaches to Danish cultural values 44
1.5.1 Parameter-based comparative approaches 45
1.5.2 Monographs 48
1.5.3 A critical summary 54
1.6 Doing linguistically grounded analysis: Caveats and challenges 55
1.6.1 Natural language and linguistic corpora 56
1.6.2 Linguistic and cultural heterogeneity and change 58
1.6.3 Ethnocentrism 59
Chapter 2. The NSM approach to linguistic and cultural analysis: Key issues in contemporary cultural semantics 62
2.1 Introduction 63
2.2 The NSM metalanguage 63
2.2.1 Semantic primes 64
2.2.2 Metalanguage grammar 67
2.2.3 Issues in Danish NSM 68
2.2.4 Semantic explications 74
2.2.5 Semantic templates 75
2.2.6 Semantic molecules 79
2.3 Perspectives and discussion 81
2.3.1 Conceptual vs. extensional approaches 81
2.3.2 Reductive paraphrase vs. metaphor mapping 84
2.3.3 Representational vs. critical perspectives 86
2.4 NSM and cultural values 89
2.4.1 Cultural keywords 90
2.4.2 Cultural scripts 95
2.5 Concluding remarks 99
Chapter 3. Roots of Danish sociality: Hygge as a cultural keyword and core cultural value 100
3.1 Introduction 100
3.2 Rolling together hygge: The limitations of English 102
3.3 Hygge in cross-cultural encounters 105
3.4 The elaborations of hygge in Danish language 107
3.5 The semantics of hygge 110
3.5.1 Explaining the rise of the verb hygger 113
3.5.2 Stemning ‘atmosphere’, a hygge-related word 116
3.6 The ethnopragmatics of hygge 119
3.6.1 Social cognition 120
3.6.2 Communicative style 123
3.6.3 Sensation and symbolism 126
3.7 How culture-specific is hygge? 130
3.8 Concluding remarks 133
Chapter 4. “It’s all about being tryg”: Danish society, socialisation and ethnopsychology 135
4.1 Introduction 135
4.2 Tryghed as a Danish cultural value 137
4.3 The Cardamom Law 141
4.4 The semantics of tryg and tryghed 145
4.4.1 A tryg place 146
4.4.2 Tryghed vs. security 150
4.4.3 Feeling tryg 153
4.5 Towards a Danish ethnopsychology 156
4.5.1 The concept of rammer ‘frames’ 157
4.5.2 The importance of “overviewability” and “pedagogy” 159
4.6 Concluding remarks 164
Chapter 5. The dark side of the Danes? A semantic and discursive analysis of janteloven ‘the Jante Law’ 165
5.1 Introduction 165
5.2 The literary origin of janteloven 167
5.3 Anti-janteloven discourses in contemporary Denmark 169
5.4 The semantics of janteloven 175
5.5 Janteloven’s hidden message of selvværd ‘self-worth’ 178
5.6 Janteloven - a Danish super demon 182
5.7 Concluding remarks 183
Chapter 6. Danish cognitive values in cross-cultural perspective: Evidence from the cognitive verbs synes and mener 185
6.1 Introduction 185
6.2 Cognitive verbs and cognitive values 187
6.3 The semantics of synes 190
6.4 The semantics of mener 195
6.5 Danish cognitive values 200
6.5.1 A cultural script against “telling others what to think” 202
6.5.2 The value of selvstændig ‘independent’ thinking 204
6.6 Danish cognitive style in cross-cultural comparison 206
6.6.1 Danish and Russian verbs and values 206
6.6.2 Danish and Anglo English verbs and values 209
6.7 Pedagogical scripts 212
6.8 Concluding remarks 216
Chapter 7. Are Danes truly the happiest people on earth? Semantics meets “happiness research” 217
7.1 Introduction 217
7.2“Happiness”, meaning and culture 221
7.3 Explicating lykkelig, glad, and tilfreds 225
7.3.1 The lykkelig of intense emotion 227
7.3.2 The lykkelig of life quality 230
7.3.3 The semantics of glad 234
7.3.4 The semantics of tilfreds 237
7.4 Comparative, historical and cultural perspectives 240
7.5 Cultural semantics vs. “happiness research” 246
7.6 Concluding remarks 248
Chapter 8. Conclusion 249
8.1 Introduction 249
8.2 Living with Danish concepts 250
8.3 Achievements and implications 252
8.4 Suggestions for future research 254
8.5 Closing remarks 256
Appendix 258
Notes 271
References 286
Author index 336
General index 342