Anna Wierzbicka

Anna Wierzbicka is a prominent linguist and ethnographer known for her work in semantics, the study of meaning in language. She introduced the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach, which uses a small, universal set of words to explain complex meanings across different languages and cultures. Her research emphasizes how language reflects cultural values and human thought. Wierzbicka's work has helped bridge understanding between diverse languages, revealing insights into how people from different backgrounds express similar concepts and emotions, contributing to fields like anthropology, psychology, and cross-cultural communication.