Experience, Evidence, and Sense: The Hidden Cultural Legacy of English

This book is based on two principles: first, that any language—English included—represents a universe of meaning shaped by the history and experiences of its speakers; second, that certain culture-specific words act as linchpins for entire networks of meanings. Anna Wierzbicka demonstrates that three uniquely English words—evidence, experience, and sense—are such linchpins. She analyzes their dense cultural meanings, traces their origins to British empiricism, and reveals insights into cultural attitudes embedded in English as a global language.