Statistical methods for characterizing similarities and differences between semantic structures

This paper describes a variety of statistical methods for obtaining precise quantitative estimates of the similarities and differences in the structur es of semantic domains in different languages. The methods include comparin g mean correlations within and between groups, principal components analysi s of interspeaker correlations, and analysis of variance of speaker by ques tion data. Methods for graphical displays of the results are also presented . The methods give convergent results that are mutually supportive and equi valent under suitable interpretation. The methods are illustrated on the se mantic domain of emotion terms in a comparison of the semantic structures o f native English and native Japanese speaking subjects. We suggest that, in comparative studies concerning the extent to which semantic structures are universally shared or culture-specific, both similarities and differences should be measured and compared rather than placing total emphasis on one o r the other polar position.