Young Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities
Vol. 1 No. 3 (2025): Young Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities

A Semantic Analysis of the Concept of 'Love' in Indonesian: A Comparative Study with English

Lihardo Manik (Unknown)
Damanik , Bernieke Anggita Ristia (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
08 Aug 2025

Abstract

The concept of “love” is complex and culturally variable, posing challenges for cross-linguistic understanding and translation. This study aims to conduct a semantic analysis of the concept of “love” in Indonesian (cinta) compared to English, to reveal both universal and culture-specific meanings. Using a qualitative approach, the research integrates lexical semantics, collocational analysis, and conceptual metaphor theory to examine dictionary definitions, corpus data, and metaphorical expressions in both languages. The findings show that while both languages share a core meaning of deep affection, Indonesian cinta has a broader semantic scope including spiritual and patriotic dimensions, reflecting Indonesia’s collectivist values. English love predominantly denotes individualistic romantic feelings. Metaphorical analysis further highlights distinct cultural conceptualizations: English metaphors emphasize agency and conflict, whereas Indonesian metaphors focus on growth and unity.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

yjssh

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Social Sciences

Description

Young Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (YJSSH) is an academic journal which focuses on social and humanistic issues, both of a conceptual and an empirical nature. The journal uses a multidisciplinary perspective with a focus on the main issue. The journal is open to all to contribute to it, ...