Applying an equivalent indigenous concept model to understand Love in Mandarin Chinese (爱) and Ukrainian (кохаю)

Abstract

Love is a universal phenomenon, yet indigenous conceptualizations of love exist by the thousands in languages worldwide. In this paper, the authors propose that sharing linguistic knowledge (explicit semantic and implicit pragmatic) and cultural knowledge (explicit etic and implicit emic) of indigenous love concepts through intercultural dialogue can liberate people’s understanding of love “imprisoned in English” (Wierzbicka, 2013) from an indigenous psychology perspective. The authors propose an “Equivalent Indigenous Concept Model” for the intercultural understanding of love in Mandarin Chinese (爱; ai) and Ukrainian (кохаю; kohayu). In this study, two graduate students (a Chinese and a Ukrainian) enrolled in an Intercultural Understanding Pedagogy seminar at a leading Japanese research university discussed their indigenous conceptualizations of love. Results of an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) based on the students’ intercultural communication (in English) suggest that, at the semantic and etic levels, both 爱 and кохаю represent profound emotions in romantic relationships. However, at the pragmatic and emic levels, 爱 functions as emotional ties that connect the individual, family, and nation, with an emphasis on commitment and responsibility. In contrast, кохаю primarily describes romantic love, specifically applicable to romantic partners, and emphasizes its sacredness. The scope, historical roots, and expressions of love concepts—as well as the dynamic and bittersweet nature of love and its relationships with marriage and family—are discussed from Chinese and Ukrainian socio-cultural perspectives. These findings support the proposition that equivalent indigenous concepts such as 爱 and кохаю represent a universal phenomenon – love, in this case – yet are likely expressed and experienced differently in specific cultural contexts.