Verbs of love and dependence in the Japanese language

Abstract

This thesis examines a group of Japanese words which express emotion, at the heart of which is the concept of amae , the desire for love and attention from another person. The emotions expressed by the words discussed herein are common to all human beings and form the core of all cultures. It seems that human feelings of fondness vary, depending on the depth of the relationship existing between the people concerned. It is in the expression of these emotions that peoples differ. It is suggested that the differences are not in the way people feel, but in the way their culture conditions them to behave in communicating their feelings.