Emotion Classification - Culturally Specific Emotions

Culturally Specific Emotions

One of the barriers to establishing a taxonomy of the emotions is that different cultures do not always recognise the same emotions in their languages. In some cases, the expressive behaviours, judgements or appropriate reactions associated with an emotion term are different. Moreover, a number of cultures have terms for emotions that have no direct equivalent in the English language. This argument, mainly from the field of anthropology, goes against the notion that emotions are biologically given. Paul Ekman, Izard, and others argue that research showing that humans from many different cultures are able to recognize the emotions associated with certain facial expression is evidence for these being universal emotions. However, there are a number of emotion terms that have been deemed culturally specific:

• Amae (Japan): Feeling of dependency akin to what infants feel towards their mothers. Important for bonding individuals to each other and cherished institutions. (Prinz 2004: 131).
• Awumbuk (Baining of Papua New Guinea): Sadness, tiredness or boredom caused by the departure of visitors, friends or relatives, (Russell 1991: 432).
• Fago (Ifaluk): A combination of love, compassion and sadness, (Lutz 1988, cited in Prinz 2004: 147).
• Gezellig (the Netherlands): Similar meaning to English word 'cozy', but occurring in the presence of other people, (Harre, 1986, Doi, 1973 cited in Prinz 2004: 131). Very similar to the German word Gemütlich/Gesellig.
• Ijirashii (Japan): Arising when seeing someone praiseworthy overcome an obstacle, (Matsumoto 1994 cited in Prinz 2004: 140).
• Ker (Ifaluk): Pleasant surprise, (cited in Goldie 2000: 91).
• Liget (Ilongot people): Aroused by situations of grief but closely related to anger, can inspire headhunting expeditions, (Rosaldo 1980 cited in Prinz 147).
• Malu (Dusun Baguk, Malaysia): Overlapping of shame and embarrassment, can be elicited by being in the presence of a person of higher rank, (Fessler 1999 cited in Prinz 2004: 156)
• Nginyiwarrarringu (Pintupi Aborigines of the Western Australian Desert): A sudden fear that leads one to stand up to see what caused it, (Russell 1991: 431)
• Rus (Ifaluk): Unpleasant surprise, cited in Goldie 2000: 91).
• Schadenfreude (Germany): Feeling of joy triggered by perception of someone suffering.
• Song (Ifaluk people, Micronesia): Close to anger, or admonition, with moralistic overtones and no disposition to revenge. (Lutz 1988 cited in Prinz 2004: 147).
• Sram (Russia): Shame specifically focused on sexual indecency, originating in religious discourse—also used as a noun denoting pudenda, or to prefix a location name in which sexual activity occurs (such as a red light district)

Prinz 2004 also cites patriotism as an emotion specific to Western cultures.