Culture Change, Language Change
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PACIFIC LINGUISTICS Series C-120 CULTURE CHANGE, LANGUAGE CHANGE CASE STUDIES FROM MELANESIA edited by Tom Dutton Published with financial assistance from the UNES CO Office for the Pacific Studies Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Dutton, T. editor. Culture change, language change: Case studies from Melanesia. C-120, viii + 164 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1992. DOI:10.15144/PL-C120.cover ©1992 Pacific Linguistics and/or the author(s). Online edition licensed 2015 CC BY-SA 4.0, with permission of PL. A sealang.net/CRCL initiative. PACIFIC LINGUISTICS is issued through the Linguistic Circle of Canberra and consists of four series: SERIES A: Occasional Papers SERIES C: Books SERIES B: Monographs SERIES D: Special Publications FOUNDING EDITOR: S.A. Wurrn EDITORIAL BOARD: K.A. Adelaar, T.E. Dutton, A.K. Pawley, M.D. Ross, D.T. Tryon EDITORIALADVISERS: B.W. Bender K.A. McElhanon University of Hawaii Summer Instituteof Linguistics David Bradley H.P. McKaughan La Trobe University University of Hawaii Michael G. Clyne P. Miihlhausler Monash University Linacre College, Oxford S.H. Elbert G.N. O' Grady University of Hawaii University of Victoria, B.C. KJ. Franklin K.L. Pike Summer Institute of Linguistics Summer Institute of Linguistics W.W. Glover E.C. Polome Summer Institute of Linguistics University of Texas G.W. Grace Gillian Sankoff University of Hawaii University of Pennsylvania M.A.K. Halliday W.A.L. Stokhof University of Sydney University of Leiden E. Haugen B.K. Tsou Harvard University City Polytechnic of Hong Kong A. Healey E.M. Uhlenbeck Summer Institute of Linguistics University of Leiden L.A. Hercus J.W.M. Verhaar Australian National University University of Leiden John Lynch C.L. Voorhoeve University of Papua New Guinea University of Leiden All correspondence concerning PACIFIC LINGUISTICS, including orders and subscriptions, should be addressed to: PACIFIC LINGUISTICS Department of Linguistics Research Schdol of Pacific Studies The Australian National University Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia Copyright © The Authors First Published 1992 Copyedited by Joan Birnie Typeset by Ling Matsay and Sue Tys Maps drawn by Theo Baumann Printed by A.N.U. Printing Service Bound by F & M Perfect Bookbinding The editors are indebted to the Australian National University for assistance in the production of this series. This publication was made possible by an initial grant from the Hunter Douglas Fund. ISSN 0078-7558 ISBN 0 85883 411 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction v List of contributors vi KARL 1. FRANKLINAND ROMAN S1EFANIW The 'pandanus languages' of the Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea - a further report 1-6 DON KULICK Language shift as cultural reproduction 7-26 DAVID LITIIGOW Language change on Fergusson and Nonnanby Islands, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea 27-47 OTTONEKI1EL Culture change, language change: the case of Abu' Arapesh, Sandaun Province, Papua New Guinea 49-58 GUNTHER RENCK Values and semantic changes in Yagaria, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea 59-66 GUN1ER SENFT 'As time goes by ... ': changes observed in Trobriand Islanders' culture and language, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea 67-89 JEFF SIEGEL Language change and culture change among Fiji Indians 91-113 GEOFF SMITH Language obsolescence in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea: two contrasting case studies 115-121 WILLIAM R. THURSTON Sociolinguistic typology and other factors effecting change in north western New Britain, Papua New Guinea 123-139 S.A. WURM Change of language structure and typology in a Pacific language as a result of culture change 141-157 ill INTRODUCTION It is now more than two centuries since most of the indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia were first brought into contact with the Western world. As a result of that contact their cultures have generally been undergoing increasing and often dramatic changes, for example, previous religious ceremonies have been discarded in favour of Western ones, gardening practices and foodstuffs have changed, former trading cycles and contacts have been abandoned. It is therefore interesting to ask questions such as: What has happened to the languages associated with those cultures? Have they changed in predictable or not-so predictable ways? Does culture change always mean language change? How precisely is language change connected with culture change, if it is? In an attempt to provide some better basis upon which to test such questions than existed at the time, an application was made to the UNESCO Office for the Pacific States in 1989 for funds to support a project aimed at collecting together a number of case studies of culture and language change. At that time it was proposed to have three types of such studies: 1. those dealing with culture and language change before European contact; 2. those dealing with culture and language change after European contact; 3. those dealing with the disappearance of cultures and languages in Melanesia before and after European contact. However, as the project developed it was decided to forego studies of types 1 and 3 because they have either been well documented already or could not be documented in time for the preparation of this volume. The volume is thus restricted to studies of type 2, and within that, to such studies as those who were in a position to participate in the project when it was fIrst mooted were able or willing to undertake. Furthermore these participants were given a free hand to report on whatever they felt relevant to the topic expressed broadly as 'culture change: language change' in the language area they were familiar with. The result is a collection of papers covering a wide range of topics which will, it is hoped, provide useful data upon which to theorise about the relationship between culture change and language change and vice versa. In drawing this project to a close I would like to thank all those who participated in it for their cooperation and patience. I hope they find the end result befItting their efforts and meeting their expectations. I would also like to thank the UNESCO Office for the PacifIc States, Apia, Western Samoa, and especially its Associate Expert, Mr Luk Bouters, for responding so generously to my application for funds, some of which were used to support the publication of this volume. Tom Dutton Coordinator v LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Dr Karl J. Franklin Director South Pacific Summer Institute of Linguistics Graham Rd Kangaroo Ground VIC 3097 Australia Dr Don Kulick Department of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies The Australian National University GPO Box 4 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia Dr David Lithgow PO Box 70 Summer Institute of Linguistics Ukarumpa ViaLae Papua New Guinea DrOtto Nekitel Department of Language and Literature University of Papua New Guinea Box 320 University PO Papua New Guinea Dr Gunther Renck Senior Flierl Seminary Logaweng PO Box 119 Finschhafen Papua New Guinea Dr Gunter Senft Research Group for Cognitive Anthropology Max-Planck-Institut ftir Psycholinguistik PB 310 NL 6500 AH Nijmegen The Netherlands Dr Jeff Siegel Department of Linguistics University of New England Armidale NSW 2351 Australia vi V1l Mr GeoffSmith Departtnent of Language and Communication University of Technology Lae Papua New Guinea Mr Roman Stefaniw Summer Institute of Linguistics Ukarumpa ViaLae Papua New Guinea Dr William R Thurston Departtnent of Anthropology Okanagan University College 1000 K.L.O. Road Kelowna, BC Canada VI Y 4X8 Emeritus Professor S.A.Wurrn Departtnent of Linguistics Research School of Pacific Studies The Australian National University GPO Box 4 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia Dutton, T. editor. Culture change, language change: Case studies from Melanesia. C-120, viii + 164 pages. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1992. DOI:10.15144/PL-C120.cover ©1992 Pacific Linguistics and/or the author(s). Online edition licensed 2015 CC BY-SA 4.0, with permission of PL. A sealang.net/CRCL initiative. THE 'PANDANUS LANGUAGES' OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PROVINCE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - A FURTHER REPORT KARL J. FRANKLIN AND ROMAN STEFANIW 1. INTRODUCTION Several years ago one of us reported on the use of a ritual pandanus language which was spoken by the Kewa people of the Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea (Franklin 1972). At that time the language was well known and used in various areas around Mt Giluwe whenever the people harvested certain pandanus nuts. The purpose of this article is to report on its present use, as a sample of cultural vitality in the area. 2. REVIEW Word taboo and name taboo are common phenomena in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea as well as in other areas of the Pacific.1 We find, in Kewa for example, alternative kinship terms, names for the dead, personal names, as well as especially coined metaphors in cult activities and the songs of many dances (Franklin 1967, 1970, 1972, 1975). Highland peoples, in particular, excel in the use of parabolic language and this genre functions to either diffuse tensions or provoke them. When the use of the pandanus language was first described (Franklin 1972) it appeared to be widely used around Mt Giluwe. Today, over twenty years later, it is less widely known, and the sociolinguistic situation reflects the general apathy of many members of the present generation towards the vernacular and their positive wholesale adoption of Tok Pisin. 3. THE PANDANUS LANGUAGES The earlier use of the term 'ritual' to describe the use of this language may have assigned more exclusive status to it than was warranted. Women and children have used it and continue to understand it, so it is not something involved with ritual acts by men alone, like other cultic forms of language. Also there does not appear to be any special acts or ceremonies which appeal only to the mythical spirits which reside in the Giluwe mountain area.