Emotion Meets Taste: Taste-Motivated Emotion Terms in Estonian
Emotion Meets Taste: Taste-Motivated Emotion Terms in Estonian

Summary/Abstract: The paper provides a systematic overview of the possibilities where the lexicons of emotion and taste meet in Estonian. Different levels of such “meeting points” are distinguished and the possible motivating factors discussed. The levels include both the figurative and literal usage of language, both the synchronic and diachronic perspective. The results demonstrate that there is figurative and systematic taste-to-emotion mapping both on the generic and specific level and in regard to both “good” and “bad” taste (and emotions, respectively). In addition, the literal terms of taste and emotions are used interchangeably on both sides of the evaluative distinction and have obsolete meanings as names of some specific substances as the prototypical carriers of the taste. The etymologies of the literal terms reveal an initial congenial conceptualisation of taste, emotion, and substance on both ends of the evaluative scale. In conclusion, today’s systematic taste-to-emotion metaphoric mappings are found to be not only body-based and experientially grounded but to have deep historical and cultural roots.

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