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The Linguistics of Olfaction: Typological and Diachronic Approaches to Synchronic Diversity
Edited by Łukasz Jędrzejowski and Przemysław Staniewski
[Typological Studies in Language 131] 2021
► pp. 277–304

Olfactory words in northern Vanuatu

Langue vs. parole

This corpus-based study examines the lexical domain of olfaction in the Oceanic languages of northern Vanuatu. While a tropical ecology is sometimes believed to favor elaborate encoding patterns for smells, this does not appear to be the case in Vanuatu. Most languages there show a rather limited array of lexemes, whether to refer to smelling events (active, passive, experiencer-based) or to the odors themselves. That said, sources based on speakers’ competence (langue) rather than performance (parole) suggest that languages may in fact possess a latent elaborate olfactory lexicon, even if it surfaces rarely in ordinary speech. The low discourse frequency of specific terms may be explained by cultural factors, as smells appear to play a reduced functional role in traditional social practices of Vanuatu. Finally, my corpus of conversation and oral literature shows that when olfaction is mentioned, it is mostly associated, first, with the islands’ natural environment; and second, with the existential contrast between death and life.

Keywords: lexical semantics, langue vs. parole, corpus study, poetry, Oceanic languages
Article outline
  • 1.Olfaction in northern Vanuatu
    • 1.1The problem
    • 1.2The languages of northern Vanuatu
    • 1.3Data sources for the present study
    • 1.4The environment in Vanuatu
    • 1.5Two different approaches
    • 1.6The present study
  • 2. A corpus-based observation of olfactory verbs
    • 2.1One central root
      • 2.1.1Verbal uses
      • 2.1.2Nominal uses
      • 2.1.3Forms derived from the same root
    • 2.2Complementary roots
      • 2.2.1Active and passive smelling
      • 2.2.2Breath, smell
    • 2.3Synthesis
  • 3.Langue vs. parole: Two different approaches
    • 3.1 A reduced lexical domain?
    • 3.2The apparent exception of Mota
  • 4.Connotations and cultural associations of smells
    • 4.1Life and death
      • 4.1.1The smell of death
      • 4.1.2The smell of life
    • 4.2From smell to kiss
    • 4.3The fragrance of nature
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Abbreviations
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 April 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.131.10fra
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