Social Structure, Space and Possession in Tongan Culture and Language

An ethnolinguistic study

Author
ORCID logoSvenja Völkel | University of Mainz
HardboundAvailable
ISBN 9789027202833 | EUR 95.00 | USD 143.00
 
e-Book
ISBN 9789027287724 | EUR 95.00 | USD 143.00
 
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This interdisciplinary study investigates the relationship between culture, language and cognition based on the aspects of social structure, space and possession in Tonga, Polynesia. Grounded on extensive field research, Völkel explores the subject from an anthropological as well as from a linguistic perspective. The book provides new insights into the language of respect, an honorific system which is deeply anchored in the societal hierarchy, spatial descriptions that are determined by socio-cultural and geocentric parameters, kinship terminology and possessive categories that perfectly express the system of social status inequalities among relatives. These examples impressively show that language is deeply anchored in its cultural context. Moreover, the linguistic structures reflect the underlying cognitive frame of its speakers. Just as several cultural practices (sitting order, access to land and gift exchange processes) the linguistic means are not only expressions of stratified social networks but also tools to maintain or negotiate the underlying socio-cultural system.
[Culture and Language Use, 2] 2010.  xv, 272 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Table of Contents
“The volume is of interest to anthropologists as well as linguists and gives great insights into the interaction of cognition, culture and language usage.”
Cited by

Cited by 6 other publications

Voelkel, Svenja & Franziska Kretzschmar
2021. Introducing Linguistic Research, DOI logo
VÖLKEL, SVENJA
2016. Tongan‐English language contact and kinship terminology. World Englishes 35:2  pp. 242 ff. DOI logo
Völkel, Svenja
2017. Word classes and the scope of lexical flexibility in Tongan. Studies in Language 41:2  pp. 445 ff. DOI logo
Völkel, Svenja
2021. Tongan honorifics and their underlying concepts ofmanaandtapu. Pragmatics & Cognition 28:1  pp. 25 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2011. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. Language in Society 40:4  pp. 535 ff. DOI logo

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Subjects

Main BIC Subject

CFB: Sociolinguistics

Main BISAC Subject

LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General
ONIX Metadata
ONIX 2.1
ONIX 3.0
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number:  2010028220 | Marc record