The Lexical Field of Taste A Semantic Study of Japanese Taste Terms [Paperback]

Backhouse, in this book, undertakes a semantic study of taste terms in modern spoken Japanese.A semantic study of taste terms in modern spoken Japanese, exploring important semantic issues, such as the relationship between evaluative and descriptive meaning, and the intralinguistic mechanisms at work in metaphor.A semantic study of taste terms in modern spoken Japanese, exploring important semantic issues, such as the relationship between evaluative and descriptive meaning, and the intralinguistic mechanisms at work in metaphor.In this extraordinary new work, Dr. Backhouse undertakes a semantic study of taste terms in modern spoken Japanese. Through an investigation of the range of vocabulary available for the description of taste qualities, and their interrelationship in terms of meaning, Dr. Backhouse presents a sensitive elucidation of the structure of Japanese taste terms, which has significant implications for anthropological linguistics. He explores important semantic issues, such as the relationship between evaluative and descriptive meaning, the intralinguistic mechanisms at work in metaphor, and draws illuminating connections between the lexical field of color and that of taste.Preface; 1. Taste and terms; 2. Lexical meaning; 3. Methodology; 4. Evaluative taste terms in Japanese; 5. Descriptive taste terms in Japanese (I); 6. Descriptive taste terms in Japanese (II); 7. Retrospect and prospects; Appendix; Notes; References; Index. ...a useful addition to the small number of full-length studies of the vocabulary of taste. Joel Kuipers, Anthropological Linguistics