Abstractness and Emotionality Values for 398 English Words

This study is aimed to replicate, in a English setting, Vikis-Freibergs' (1976) classic study on the values of vividness for French words. Vividness resulted from the concreteness (i.e., the opposite of abstract) and the emotionality values of words, here defined, respectively, as referring to something that can be experienced through senses and that can arouse pleasant/unpleasant emotions. 398 English words were rated on two different scales, the Abstractness (A-scale) and Emotionality (E-scale), by a group of English native speakers and, also, by a group of Italian subjects who used English as a second language. Results show a low correlation both between the concreteness and emotionality ratings on the one hand, in line with Vikis-Freibergs' (1976) previous study on French words. A negative correlation between Abstractness and Emotionality applies to the British data, whereas a slightly positive one to the Italian results.