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Author Levisen, Carsten.

Title Cultural semantics and social cognition : a case study on the Danish universe of meaning / by Carsten Levisen
Published Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter Mouton, ©2012

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Description 1 online resource (xx, 333 pages)
Series Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs ; 257
Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs ; 257.
Contents Danish as a universe of meaning. Introduction ; Overview ; Language and cultural values ; Danish identity, culture and language; The new concepts dansk 'Danish' and sprog 'language'; Grundtvigianism and the peculiarities of Danish enlightenment; Scandinavian unity and diversity ; Approaches to Danish cultural values; Parameter-based comparative approaches; Monographs; A critical summary ; Doing linguistically grounded analysis : caveats and challenges; Natural language and linguistic corpora; Linguistic and cultural heterogeneity and change; Ethnocentrism -- The NSM approach to linguistic and cultural analysis : key issues in contemporary cultural semantics. Introduction ; The NSM metalanguage; Semantic primes; Metalanguage grammar; lssues in Danish NSM; Semantic explications; Semantic templates; Semantic molecules ; Perspectives and discussion; Conceptual vs. extensional approaches; Reductive paraphrase vs. metaphor mapping; Representational vs. critical perspectives ; NSM and cultural values; Cultural keywords; Cultural Scripts ; Concluding remarks -- Roots of Danish sociality : Hygge as a cultural keyword and core cultural value. Introduction ; Rolling together hygge : the limitations of English ; Hygge in cross-cultural encounters ; The elaborations of hygge in Danish language ; The semantics of hygge; Explaining the rise of the verb hygger; Stemning 'atmosphere', a hygge-related word ; The ethnopragmatics of hygge; Social cognition; Communicative style; Sensation and symbolism ; How culture-specific is hygge? ; Concluding remarks -- "Its all about being tryg" : Danish society, socialisation and ethnopsychology. Introduction ; Tryghed as a Danish cultural value ; The Cardamom Law ; The semantics of tryg and tryghed; A tryg place; Tryghed vs. security; Feeling tryg ; Towards a Danish ethnopsychology; The concept of rammer 'frames'; The importance of "overviewability" and "pedagogy" ; Concluding remarks -- The dark side of the Danes? A semantic and discursive analysis of janteloven 'the Jante Law'. Introduction ; The literary origin of janteloven ; Anti-janteloven discourses in contemporary Denmark ; The semantics of janteloven ; Janteloven's hidden message of selvværd 'self worth' ; Janteloven : a Danish super demon ; Concluding remarks -- Danish cognitive values in cross-cultural perspective : evidence from the cognitive verbs synes and mener. Introduction ; Cognitive verbs and cognitive values ; The semantics of synes ; The semantics of mener ; Danish cognitive values; A cultural script against "telling others what to think"; The value of selvstændig 'independent' thinking ; Danish cognitive style in cross-cultural comparison; Danish and Russian verbs and values; Danish and Anglo English verbs and values ; Pedagogical scripts ; Concluding remarks -- Are Danes truly the happiest people on earth? Semantics meets "happiness research". Introduction ; "Happiness", meaning and culture ; Explicating lykkelig, glad, and tilfreds; The lykkelig of intense emotion; The lykkelig of life quality; The semantics of glad; The semantics of tilfreds ; Comparative, historical and cultural perspectives ; Cultural semantics vs. "happiness research" ; Concluding remarks -- Conclusion ; Introduction ; Living with Danish concepts ; Achievements and implications ; Suggestions for future research ; Closing remarks ; Appendix ; Notes ; References ; Author index ; General index
Summary Words do not emerge in a cultural vacuum. They are revealing of speakers' values, cognitive preferences and social practices. With an engaging study of Danish cultural keywords, this book offers a new framework for understanding language-particular universes of meaning and lays the ground for comparative research into the diversity of semantic and cultural systems in contemporary Europe. The book is of compelling interest to anyone interested in language and cultural values, as well as for students and scholars in Scandinavian and European studies
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 266-315)-and indexes
Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL
In English
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digitized 2011 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL
Subject Danish language -- Semantics -- Psychological aspects
Danish language -- Social aspects
Danish language -- Discourse analysis
Psycholinguistics -- Cross-cultural studies.
Cognitive psychology -- Cross-cultural studies
Language and culture -- Europe -- Cross-cultural studies
FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY -- Danish.
Cognitive psychology
Danish language -- Discourse analysis
Danish language -- Social aspects
Language and culture
Psycholinguistics
Kultur
Semantik
Schlüsselwort
Dänisch
Europe
Genre/Form Cross-cultural studies
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2012289575
ISBN 3110294656
9783110294651