Surprise at the Intersection of Phenomenology and Linguistics

The article examines the function and status of surprise from Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological point of view on experience. Firstly, it is shown that, when experience is defined through concordance and continuity, it becomes difficult to describe surprise otherwise than as deception or disappointment. Secondly, the paper attempts to overcome this negative characterization of surprise without completely abandoning Husserl’s method and description. It is indeed shown that conflict is as important