Papers in Linguistics of Melanesia No. 3
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Plural Words in Austronesian Languages: Typology and History
Plural Words in Austronesian Languages: Typology and History A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Research Master of Arts in Linguistics by Jiang Wu Student ID: s1609785 Supervisor: Prof. dr. M.A.F. Klamer Second reader: Dr. E.I. Crevels Date: 10th January, 2017 Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University Table of contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... iv List of tables ................................................................................................................... v List of figures ................................................................................................................ vi List of maps ................................................................................................................. vii List of abbreviations .................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1. Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2. Background literature ................................................................................... 3 2.1. Plural words as nominal plurality marking ....................................................... 3 2.2. Plural words in Austronesian languages .......................................................... -
The Legacy of the German Language in Papua New Guinea T
Craig Alan Voll<er The legacy of the German language in Papua New Guinea t. lntroduction' German colonial rule in the western Pacific began formally in 1884 when unbe- known to them, people in north-eastern New Guinea (Ifuiser Wilhelmsland), the archipelago around the Bismarck Sea, and in the next year, almost ali of neigh- boring Micronesia were proclaimed to be under German "protection". This act changed ways of living that had existed for tens of thousands of years and laid the foundation for what eventually became the modern state of Papua New Guinea. This proclamation was made in German, a language that was then unknown to Melanesians and Micronesians. Today the German language is again mostly unknown to most Melanesians and only a few visible traces of any German colonial legacy remain. There are no old colonial buildings, no monuments outside of a few small and almost hidden cemeteries, and no German Clubs or public signs in German. In this century there has not even been a German embassy. But it is impossible to step out in New Ireland (the former "Neu-Mecklenburg"), for example, without being con- fronted by a twenty-first century reality that is in part a creation of German col- onial rule. Species that were introduced by the Germans stiil retain their German name, frorn clover,I(lee in both German and the local Nalik language to pineap- ples (GermanAnanas / Nalik ananas). The best rural road in the country the Bulominski Highway was started by and named after the last German governor of Neu-Mecklenburg and a mountain range is known as the Schleinitz Range. -
Ethnography of Ontong Java and Tasman Islands with Remarks Re: the Marqueen and Abgarris Islands
PACIFIC STUDIES Vol. 9, No. 3 July 1986 ETHNOGRAPHY OF ONTONG JAVA AND TASMAN ISLANDS WITH REMARKS RE: THE MARQUEEN AND ABGARRIS ISLANDS by R. Parkinson Translated by Rose S. Hartmann, M.D. Introduced and Annotated by Richard Feinberg Kent State University INTRODUCTION The Polynesian outliers for years have held a special place in Oceanic studies. They have figured prominently in discussions of Polynesian set- tlement from Thilenius (1902), Churchill (1911), and Rivers (1914) to Bayard (1976) and Kirch and Yen (1982). Scattered strategically through territory generally regarded as either Melanesian or Microne- sian, they illustrate to varying degrees a merging of elements from the three great Oceanic culture areas—thus potentially illuminating pro- cesses of cultural diffusion. And as small bits of land, remote from urban and administrative centers, they have only relatively recently experienced the sustained European contact that many decades earlier wreaked havoc with most islands of the “Polynesian Triangle.” The last of these characteristics has made the outliers particularly attractive to scholars interested in glimpsing Polynesian cultures and societies that have been but minimally influenced by Western ideas and Pacific Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3—July 1986 1 2 Pacific Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3—July 1986 accoutrements. For example, Tikopia and Anuta in the eastern Solo- mons are exceptional in having maintained their traditional social structures, including their hereditary chieftainships, almost entirely intact. And Papua New Guinea’s three Polynesian outliers—Nukuria, Nukumanu, and Takuu—may be the only Polynesian islands that still systematically prohibit Christian missionary activities while proudly maintaining important elements of their old religions. -
ISSN: 0023-1959 Vol. 34 No. 1, 2016
Language & Linguistics in Melanesia Vol. 34 No. 1, 2016 ISSN: 0023-1959 Journal of the Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea ISSN: 0023-1959 Vol. 34 No. 1, 2016 www.langlxmelanesia.com www.langlxmelanesia.com www.langlxmelanesia.com Language & Linguistics in Melanesia Vol. 34 No. 1, 2016 ISSN: 0023-1959 An Account of Possession in Larevet Julie Barbour University of Waikato [email protected] Abstract This paper presents a first analysis of the Larevet language of central Malakula, Vanuatu, focusing on its possessive system. I locate the analysis within the literature on possession in the Oceanic language family broadly, seeking to understand how the synchronic system re- lates to both typological understandings within the family, and the possessive system recon- structed for Proto Oceanic. Drawing on a corpus of communicative and elicited language as evidence, I demonstrate that Larevet displays many features of a canonical Oceanic language, and that where changes have occurred, these align well with observations of possession in related languages of Malakula. Keywords: Malakula, Larevet, Possession, Oceanic, Alienability 1. Introduction The Larevet language (also referred to as Laravat, Larë vat and Larevat) is spoken in a village of the same name, on the northwestern coast of Malakula Island in Vanuatu. Unpublished data from the 2009 census puts the population of Larevet at 244.1 The village is gradually transitioning to Bislama as the dominant language of communication. The community is in- volved in the early phases of a long-term language documentation project, and I have under- taken brief periods of field work with Larevet speakers from 2013 onwards. -
Programme 14 – 21 April 2017
5th Niue Arts and Cultural Festival 2017 PROGRAMME 14 – 21 APRIL 2017 ‘Ki Mua mo e Vagahau Niue’ ‘Move Forward with Vagahau Niue’ www.niuefestival.com Committed to the preservation of our arts and culture through the promotion of Vagahau Niue, every second year the Niue Arts and Cultural Festival transforms Niue into a vibrant culture zone with one week of the finest music, theatre, dance, visual art and writers. Tickets for various events can be purchased as described, with many events free and available for both locals and visitors to experience. PRE - FESTival acTIVITIES WEDNESDAY 5TH APRIL NIUE HIGH SCHOOL’s CuLTURAL NIUEAN PERFORMANCES 9am - 12pm, Niue High School PRP Hall. Free entry and open to the public. This is performed by the four house teams of Niue High School. Held at the High School multi-purpose hall, this event is open to the public. FRIDAY 7TH APRIL CHARLES JESSOP MEMORIAL SCULPTURE AwarD ENTRIES CLOSE 4pm, Tahiono Art Gallery, Alofi. $10 registration fee, open to all. Submissions of art piece displays for Sales Fale. Blank wooden planks are available from Tahiono Art Gallery in Alofi. $10 registration fee payable at Tahiono Art Gallery. Winners announced on Saturday 15th April. Proudly brought to you by Tahiono Art and supported by Niue Tourism. WEDNESDAy 12th - THURSDAY 13TH APRIL VagaHAU NIUE CONFERENCE 9am - 4pm, Salim Hall, Mutalau. Registrations with UNESCO Natcom c/- Education Department and open to the public. Sustaining Vagahau Niue is of the essence for everyone Niuean. We must continue to shine the light on our capacities as Niue peoples to use the Vagahau Niue as a vehicle towards a better life, for living together within as well as maintaining ties with our Niue nationals living abroad. -
Fijian Kava Ceremony
Fijian Kava Ceremony Na Yaqona Vakaturaga (Chiefly Kava Ceremony) INFORMATION FOR DELEGATES United Nations General Assembly Hall Monday 5 June, 2017 09:10Hrs- 09:55Hr Picture Source: https://www.robertharding.com/preview/1161-7488/fijian-chiefs-kava-ceremony-tribal-gathering-cultural-event/ Fijian Traditional Welcome Kava Ceremony PROGRAMME UNGA Hall, Monday 5 June, 2017 09:10Hrs- 09:55Hr Time Event 09:00hrs Arrival of Delegates 09:05hrs First Call of the Conch Shell1 - Signal to delegates that the ceremony is about to commence - Traditional Party enter the UNGA Hall and take up position 09:10hrs Second Call of the Conch Shell - VIP Parties escorted in and take Seat - Garlanding 09:15hrs Third Call of the Conch Shell - Traditional Ceremony Commences - The “Sau” is rolled out - Greeting Chants/Closed Clapping of hands - Traditional Party – Kava presentation Speech - Secretary-General’s Herald-man traditional acceptance - Chants/Closed Clapping of Hands 09:25hrs Kava Ceremony - Mixing of pounded Kava - Chants & Traditional Ceremonial Dance 09:30hrs Drinking of Kava - Secretary – General (On behalf of the UN & Members States) o UN-SG’s Herald man - President of the UN General Assembly o UN-PGA Herald man - Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden (Co-President) o Sweden’s DPM’s Herald man - Prime Minister of Fiji (Co-President) o Fiji PM’s Herald man 09:35hrs UN Secretary-General (Vosa Vakaturaga, Chiefly Speech.) - Acceptance of UN-SG’s Speech (Traditional Party) 09:40hrs Fijian Meke – Cultural Dance 09:55hrs Conclusion of Ceremony - VIP escorted out - Traditional Party Depart - Podium Cleared 1 Fijian Ceremonies are carried out in complete silence, Delegates are requested to observe silence throughout the ceremony 2 Yaqona Vakaturaga - the Chiefly “Kava” Ceremony The Yaqona2 or Kava Ceremony is an important and a hallowed component of the seven ceremonies that forms the traditional Fijian welcome rituals. -
Acoustic Evidence for Right-Edge Prominence in Nafsana)
...................................ARTICLE Acoustic evidence for right-edge prominence in Nafsana) Rosey Billington,b) Janet Fletcher,c) Nick Thieberger,d) and Ben Volchok ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, School of Languages and Linguistics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia ABSTRACT: Oceanic languages are often described as preferring primary stress on penultimate syllables, but detailed surveys show that many different types of prominence patterns have been reported across and within Oceanic language families. In some cases, these interact with segmental and phonotactic factors, such as syllable weight. The range of Oceanic prominence patterns is exemplified across Vanuatu, a linguistically diverse archipelago with over 130 languages. However, both impressionistic and instrumentally-based descriptions of prosodic patterns and their correlates are limited for languages of this region. This paper investigates prominence in Nafsan, an Oceanic language of Vanuatu for which previous observations of prominence differ. Acoustic and durational results for disyl- labic and trisyllabic Nafsan words show a clear pattern of higher fundamental frequency values in final syllables, regardless of vowel length, pointing towards a preference for prominence at the right edge of words. Short vowels also show centralisation in penultimate syllables, providing supporting evidence for right-edge prominence and informing the understanding of vowel deletion processes in Nafsan. VC 2020 Acoustical Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0000995 (Received 3 May 2019; revised 15 September 2019; accepted 16 October 2019; published online 30 April 2020) [Editor: Benjamin V. Tucker] Pages: 2829–2844 I. INTRODUCTION empirically. The present study is part of a wider project using instrumental phonetic approaches to investigate vari- This paper investigates prominence in Nafsan (South ous aspects of Nafsan phonology. -
Abstract of Counting Systems of Papua New Guinea and Oceania
Abstract of http://www.uog.ac.pg/glec/thesis/ch1web/ABSTRACT.htm Abstract of Counting Systems of Papua New Guinea and Oceania by Glendon A. Lean In modern technological societies we take the existence of numbers and the act of counting for granted: they occur in most everyday activities. They are regarded as being sufficiently important to warrant their occupying a substantial part of the primary school curriculum. Most of us, however, would find it difficult to answer with any authority several basic questions about number and counting. For example, how and when did numbers arise in human cultures: are they relatively recent inventions or are they an ancient feature of language? Is counting an important part of all cultures or only of some? Do all cultures count in essentially the same ways? In English, for example, we use what is known as a base 10 counting system and this is true of other European languages. Indeed our view of counting and number tends to be very much a Eurocentric one and yet the large majority the languages spoken in the world - about 4500 - are not European in nature but are the languages of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific, Africa, and the Americas. If we take these into account we obtain a quite different picture of counting systems from that of the Eurocentric view. This study, which attempts to answer these questions, is the culmination of more than twenty years on the counting systems of the indigenous and largely unwritten languages of the Pacific region and it involved extensive fieldwork as well as the consultation of published and rare unpublished sources. -
Comparatives in Melanesia: Concentric Circles of Convergence Antoinette Schapper, Lourens De Vries
Comparatives in Melanesia: Concentric circles of convergence Antoinette Schapper, Lourens de Vries To cite this version: Antoinette Schapper, Lourens de Vries. Comparatives in Melanesia: Concentric circles of conver- gence. Linguistic Typology, De Gruyter, 2018, 22 (3), pp.437-494. 10.1515/lingty-2018-0015. halshs- 02931152 HAL Id: halshs-02931152 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-02931152 Submitted on 4 Sep 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives| 4.0 International License Linguistic Typology 2018; 22(3): 437–494 Antoinette Schapper and Lourens de Vries Comparatives in Melanesia: Concentric circles of convergence https://doi.org/10.1515/lingty-2018-0015 Received May 02, 2018; revised July 26, 2018 Abstract: Using a sample of 116 languages, this article investigates the typology of comparative constructions and their distribution in Melanesia, one of the world’s least-understood linguistic areas. We present a rigorous definition of a comparative construction as a “comparative concept”, thereby excluding many constructions which have been considered functionally comparatives in Melanesia. Conjoined comparatives are shown to dominate at the core of the area on the island of New Guinea, while (monoclausal) exceed comparatives are found in the maritime regions around New Guinea. -
Bislama Into Kwamera: Code-Mixing and Language Change on Tanna (Vanuatu)
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa Vol. 1, No. 2 (December 2007), pp. 216–239 http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/ldc/ Bislama into Kwamera: Code-mixing and Language Change on Tanna (Vanuatu) Lamont Lindstrom University of Tulsa People throughout Vanuatu frequently mix Bislama (that country’s national Pidgin) into their vernaculars. Extensive code-mixing is an obvious indicator, and sometime cause, of language change or even language replacement. This paper discusses several sorts of Bislama code-mixing on Tanna among speakers of that island’s Kwamera language. It assesses levels and kinds of Bislama use in four village debates, tape-recorded in 1982 and 1983. Among other uses, Kwamera speakers mix Bislama when interjecting, reiterating, reporting speech, neutralizing marked vernacular terms, and qualifying what they say. The paper concludes with some remarks on the phonological, morphological/syntactic, and lexical/semantic consequences of recurrent language mixing—on how Islanders’ insertions of Bislama into their oratorical and everyday talk may or may not be effecting linguistic change in Kwamera. Bislama, so far at least, has enriched more than it has impoverished Tanna’s linguistic ecology. Speakers’ frequent Bislama mixes have not yet seriously undermined their vernacular. 1. INTRODUCTION. On the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, many people say that they don’t speak their language the way they used to. This language is Kwamera—or, to give it its local name, Nɨninɨfe1 or Nɨfe (Lindstrom 1986; Lindstrom and Lynch 1994). Around 3,500 people living along Tanna’s southeastern coasts speak Kwamera. -
Reflexives Markers in Oceanic Languages
DGfS-CNRS Summer School: Linguistic Typology (3) Koenig/Moyse-Faurie Reflexives markers in Oceanic Languages Ekkehard König (FU Berlin) & Claire Moyse-Faurie (Lacito-CNRS) 1. Previous views 1.1. A lack of reflexive markers ? “[Oceanic languages] have morphological markers used to encode reciprocal and certain other situations, but not reflexive situations” (Lichtenberk, 2000:31). “Assuming that reflexivity is inherently related to transitivity, we understand why we do not find morphosyntactic reflexivisation in Samoan: Samoan does not have syntactically transitive clauses” (Mosel, 1991: ‘Where have all the Samoan reflexives gone?’) “There is no mark of reflexive, either in the form of a reflexive pronoun or of a reflexive marker on the verb – one simply says I saw me” (Dixon, 1988:9). Out of context, there are indeed many cases of ambiguity with 3rd persons, due to the frequent absence of obligatory grammaticalized constructions to express reflexivity: XÂRÂGURÈ (South of the Mainland, New Caledonia) (1) nyî xati nyî 3SG scold 3SG ‘He is scolding him/himself.’ NUMÈÈ (Far South of the Mainland, New Caledonia) (2) treâ trooke nê kwè nê ART.PL dog 3PL bite 3PL ‘The dogs are biting them/each other.’ MWOTLAP (North Central Vanuatu) (3) Kēy mu-wuh mat kēy 3PL PERF-hit die 3PL ‘They killed each other/themselves.’ (François, 2001:372) TOQABAQITA (South East Solomon) (4) Keero’a keko thathami keero’a 3DU 3DU like 3DU ‘They liked them/each other/themselves.’ (Lichtenberk, 1991:172) 1.2. Confusion between middle markers and reflexive markers “In East Futunan, the reflexive meaning is either lexicalised (i.e. expressed by lexically reflexive verbs) or by transitive verbs, the two arguments of which refer to the same entity. -
Re-Membering Quirós, Bougainville and Cook in Vanuatu
Chapter 3 The Sediment of Voyages: Re-membering Quirós, Bougainville and Cook in Vanuatu Margaret Jolly Introduction: An Archipelago of Names This chapter juxtaposes the voyages of Quirós in 1606 and those eighteenth-century explorations of Bougainville and Cook in the archipelago we now call Vanuatu.1 In an early and influential work Johannes Fabian (1983) suggested that, during the period which separates these voyages, European constructions of the ªotherº underwent a profound transformation. How far do the materials of these voyages support such a view? Here I consider the traces of these journeys through the lens of this vaunted transformation and in relation to local sedimentations (and vaporisations) of memory. Vanuatu is the name of this archipelago of islands declared at independence in 1980 ± vanua ªlandº and tu ªto stand up, endure; be independentº (see figure 3.1). Both words are drawn from one of the 110 vernacular languages still spoken in the group. But, alongside this indigenous name, there are many foreign place names, the perduring traces of the movement of early European voyagers: Espiritu Santo ± the contraction of Terra Austrialia del Espiritu Santo, the name given by Quirós in 1606;2 Pentecost ± the Anglicisation of Île de Pentecôte, conferred by Bougainville, who sighted this island on Whitsunday, 22 May 1768; Malakula, Erromango and Tanna ± the contemporary spellings of the Mallicollo, Erromanga and Tanna conferred by Cook who named the archipelago the New Hebrides in 1774, a name which, for foreigners at least, lasted from that date till 1980.3 Fortunately, some of these foreign names proved more ephemeral: the island we now know as Ambae, Bougainville called Île des Lepreux (Isle of Lepers), apparently because he mistook the pandemic skin conditions of tinea imbricata or leucodermia for signs of leprosy.