NSM (Natural semantic metalanguage) in Romance and/or French

[Bert Peeters]

***WITH APOLOGIES FOR CROSS-POSTING***

Anna Wierzbicka's natural semantic metalanguage (also known as the
"semantic primitives" approach) is being used by an increasing number of
researchers across the world, on a multitude of languages, for the
purpose of gaining new insights in a variety of culture-specific
concepts, values, keywords, communicative norms etc. To date, the amount
of relevant work in the area of Romance, and more specifically French,
is rather modest. Marie-Odile Junker (Carleton University) and I are
thinking of bringing together a number of studies, either on Romance in
general or on French (and its dialects, creoles...) in particular - if
not on both -, which provide constructive criticism and/or further
empirical evidence for the fruitfulness of the approach. We are looking
at a large-scale project which would result in publication in 2003 at
the earliest, perhaps only in 2004. This would provide enough time to
bring together an enthusiastic team of collaborators, who would be given
a very reasonable amount of time to write up one or more papers which
would then be peer-reviewed before being prepared for publication.

This is a call for contributions to what promises to be an exciting
project. It is envisaged that the typical contributor will already have
some familiarity with the natural semantic metalanguage - although
newcomers to the approach are by no means excluded. For a crash-course
in the natural semantic metalanguage, see Cliff Goddard's overview on
the University of New England website:

http://www.une.edu.au/arts/LCL/disciplines/linguistics/nsmpage.htm

Would potential contributors please identify themselves and provide me
with some information on the amount of exposure they have had to NSM,
and in what way(s) they would be willing to take part in this venture?
For now, it is intended to leave as many doors open as possible, and to
work out a more specific project at a later stage.

I shall be happy to answer questions or to redirect queries to NSM
specialists more knowledgeable than me.

Bert Peeters

--

Dr Bert Peeters
Acting Head of School
School of English, Journalism & European Languages
University of Tasmania
GPO Box 252-82
Hobart TAS 7001
Australia

Tel.: +61 (0)3 6226 2344
Fax.: +61 (0)3 6226 7631
E-mail: Bert.Peeters at utas.edu.au
http://www.arts.utas.edu.au/efgj/french/index.htm
http://www.arts.utas.edu.au/efgj/french/staff/peeters/peeters.htm