Final answer:
The absence of a word for a particular emotion in a culture does not imply that the people of that culture do not experience the emotion. Research shows that emotions can be universally experienced and recognized through music or facial expressions despite language differences. Thus, people likely still experience the emotion but may conceptualize or express it differently.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a culture does not have a word for a particular emotion, it is most likely true that the people of that culture still experience the emotion. This is connected to the idea of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, which has been interpreted to suggest language influences thought and experiences. However, this does not imply that people cannot feel certain emotions; they may simply understand or interpret them differently without specific terminology.
Research has shown that emotional experiences, such as those conveyed through music or facial expressions, are often universal. For example, studies with the Mafa tribe in Cameroon who had no prior exposure to Western music, or research by Paul Ekman in New Guinea, illustrate our innate ability to recognize basic emotions even in the absence of specific linguistic labels. This indicates a sort of universal language of emotions that transcends specific vocabulary.
Cultural display rules may govern the expression of emotions, and the bodily experience of emotions, such as physiological responses, appears to be a global human phenomenon. The concept that the absence of a word for an emotion means the absence of that emotion is not supported by evidence from psychological and anthropological research.