A CORPUS LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF EMOTIVE LANGUAGE AND LEXICAL PATTERNS IN THE ESSAYS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Abstract

The current research analyses emotive language and lexical choices in selected essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson using a corpus-linguistic methodology. The main goal of the study is to detect recurring emotive lexical items, philosophical terminology, and stylistic peculiarities in Emerson's selected essays using both quantitative and qualitative corpus-linguistic methodologies. A self-made corpus, containing selected essays including Self-Reliance, Nature, The Over-Soul, Compensation, and Circles, was compiled and analysed using AntConc software. The study uses corpus-linguistic tools such as word-frequency analysis, lexical-repetition analysis, and concordance analysis to examine the use of emotive and philosophical lexemes in context. It should be noted that such lexemes as “nature,” “soul,” “self,” “truth,” and “spirit” recur very often in the corpus due to Emerson’s transcendentalist views and spiritual philosophy. Moreover, it was revealed that the writer used repetitive lexical structures and emotionally charged diction to emphasise themes such as individualism, universal harmony, spirituality, and moral idealism. Accordingly, the study shows that the use of emotive language is an essential stylistic device in Emerson's writing and plays a critical role in the development of the author's philosophical discourse and rhetorical style. Moreover, the research demonstrates that the use of corpus stylistics is effective for analysing emotion- and philosophy-related discourse.