EMOTIONAL CONCEPTUAL PROXIMATES AS CONSTRUCTS FOR DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN CLOSE EMOTION CONCEPTS: A CASE STUDY OF HAPPINESS AND JOY

Kostiantyn  Mizin; Liudmyla  Slavova

doi:10.21618/fil2633203m

Authors

Kostiantyn Mizin Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav Ukrainian and Foreign Philology Faculty Department of Foreign Philology, Translation and Teaching Methodology
Liudmyla Slavova Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology Theory and Practice of Translation from English Department

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21618/fil2633203m

Keywords:

emotional conceptual proximates, emotion concept, joy, happiness, semantics, corpus linguistics

Abstract

The article identifies the semantic and affective parameters that distinguish between the close emotion concepts (ECs) happiness and joy in the Anglo-Saxon culture. These parameters are identified on the basis of a corpus-based methodology, the core of which is the notion of “emotional conceptual proximates” (ECPs). The methodology was tested by (1) forming samples of the most relevant ECPs representing ECs happiness and joy, and (2) comparison of the studied ECs in terms of their conceptual structures and two affective characteristics – valence and arousal. It has been found that the conceptual structure of EC happiness, in contrast to JOY, is represented not only by emotional meanings, but also by those which describe related states – moods and temperaments. Therefore, happiness demonstrates a certain duality in its semantic structure, as its main meanings form both the “partially emotion” concept of well-being and the EC joy. The analysis of the data from the study samples allowed us to determine that, despite the high degree of similarity between the conceptual structures of the ECs happiness and joy, the latter differ significantly in the hierarchy of their conceptual organisation, as the representatives of the Anglo-Saxon culture associate happiness primarily with joy, love, and well-being, while joy is associated with love, happiness, and pride. The conceptual structures of happiness and joy also differ in the organisation of negative ECPs, because happiness contains more meanings that convey suffering and unhappiness, and joy conveys pain, fear and sorrow. By comparing the average values of the valence and arousal ECPs of the concepts happiness and joy, it was found that these ECPs demonstrate a rather significant indicator of ambivalence. At the same time, happiness is somewhat more positive and intense than joy.

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