Culture, interaction and person reference in an Australian language : an ethnography of Bininj Gunwok communication / Murray Garde, Australian National University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Garde, Murray.

Series:

Culture and language use ; v. 11.

Culture and language use ; 11

Language:

Australian languages

English

Subjects (All):

Australian languages--Grammar.

Australian languages.

Australian languages--Discourse analysis.

Language and culture--Australia.

Language and culture.

Sociolinguistics--Australia.

Sociolinguistics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (294 pages) : portraits.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Philadelphia : John Benjamins Publishing Company, [2013]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Introduction

Bininj Gunwok kinship systems

Ways of referring to people in Bininj Gunwok - The Kun-Debi system of triadic kinship reference

Reference, grammar and indeterminacy in Bininj Gunwok conversation

Culture, reference and circumspection

The path of inference: the unravelling of referring expressions

The trouble with Wamud: a conversational example of unsuccessful reference

Person reference: culture, cognition and theories of communication

References.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9789027271242

9027271240

OCLC:

862610336