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Title
The comparative semantics of verbs of 'opening': West Africa vs Oceania |
Full text
http://hdl.handle.net/1887/139210 |
Date
2020 |
Author(s)
Ameka, F.K.; Hill, D.L. |
Abstract
This chapter compares the way two languages, Ewe, a Kwa language of West Africa, and Longgu, an Oceanic language of Solomon Islands, carve up the semantic space of 'opening' and provides semantic explications forasmall number of verbs in each language. The lexicon of complex physical activities in different languages reveals differences related to culture, as well as similarities between cultures. This is reflected in verbs in the domain of 'carrying' (Hill 2016b; Ameka 2017) as well as in separation events of cutting and breaking (Ameka and Essegbey 2007; Goddard and Wierzbicka 2009). We shall demonstrate that the verbs of opening also show this diversity and cultural embeddedness. We will show a difference in lexical elaboration in this domain in the two languages: Longgu has at least 10 verbs that express opening events, Ewe has three. Opening events such as 'peel something' are expressed by a specific verb in Longgu (pagea 'peel something (e.g. banana)'), whereas in Ewe one of three verbs expressing opening (klẽ ́), is also used to describe peeling While Ewe and Longgu carve up the semantic space of opening events differently, there are also shared properties of objects of physical actions of opening. The shared properties relate to characteristics of openable objects such as 'containers' (e.g. open the can/bottle/soda; open the house) and 'conduits' (channels and paths) (Levisen 1993) Both Ewe and Longgu have verbs (ʋu and tavangia) to refer to opening containers and conduits. However, when these verbs are used to describe the opening of 'channels' or 'paths', the languages differ in the range of objects that can be referred to; for example, while Eweʋu and Longgutavangia can be used to refer to opening or turning on a radio, only Longgutavangia is used to refer to turning on or opening a lamp or light. |
Publisher
ANU Press; Canberra |
Type of publication
Part of book or chapter of book; Part of book or chapter of book |
Source
urn:isbn:9781760463922; 33; 59; 27; Meaning, Life, and Culture: In Conversation with Anna Wierzbicka. |
Repository
Leiden - University of Leiden
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Added to C-A: 2021-01-18;14:16:35 |
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