Culture, Interaction and Person Reference in an Australian Language: An ethnography of Bininj Gunwok communication
Murray Garde
The study of person reference stands at the cross-roads of linguistics, anthropology and psychology. As one aspect of an ethnography of communication, this book deals with a single problem — how one knows who is being talked about in conversation — from a rich and varied ethnographic perspective. Through a combination of grammatical agreement and free pronouns, Bininj Gunwok possesses a pronominal system that, according to current theoretical accounts in linguistics, should facilitate clear cut reference. However, the descriptions of Bininj Gunwok conversation in this volume demonstrate that frequently a vast gulf lies between knowing that, say, an object is '3rd singular', and actually knowing who it refers to. Achieving reference to people in Bininj Gunwok can involve a delicate and refined set of calculations which are part of a deliberate and artful way of speaking. Speakers draw on a diverse set of grammatical and lexical devices all underpinned by shared knowledge about a diverse range of social relationships and cultural practices.
Kategori:
Tahun:
2013
Penerbit:
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Bahasa:
english
Halaman:
294
ISBN 10:
902720294X
ISBN 13:
9789027202949
Nama seri:
Culture and Language Use
File:
PDF, 5.18 MB
IPFS:
,
english, 2013