Благодарността – емоция или познание (върху материал от балканските езици)
Gratitude – emotion or cognition (based on material from the Balkan languages)

Summary/Abstract: Gratitude is not one of the four main emotions recognized in Ancient Greek philosophy. The article analyzes the emotion of gratitude in the Balkan area with reference to the genetically and historically connected languages there and the respective cultures. We mainly rely on language data (the history and etymology of the terms denoting gratitude; the phraseolоgy and paremiology related to gratitude). The examination of the language material and the functions of the concept of gratitude in communication leads us to the following conclu- sions: The evaluation of gratitude in Balkan folk culture can be reduced to three types of interpretation: gratitude, ingratitude, shared (self-)interest. Feeling gratitude is a cogni- tive-evaluative mental activity alongside respect and recognition and it is often identified with them linguistically. Gratitude may be regarded as the path from cognition to emotion. It is the feeling of a rationalized activity (similar to the feeling of shame, honour, and pity), the result of a cognitive process on the part of the thinking individual.

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