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Vol. 54, no. 2 (Summer 2012)

Contents

Abstracts

Free at Last: From Bound Morpheme to Discourse Marker in Lengua ri Palenge (Palenquero Creole Spanish)

John M. Lipski
Pennsylvania State University

Abstract. The Spanish-lexified creole language spoken in the Afro-Colombian village of San Basilio de Palenque has become endangered due to ethnic and racial prejudice and discrimination. Recent changes in community attitudes, coupled with frequent visits by linguistic researchers, have resulted in heightened metalinguistic awareness as residents strive to speak the “best” Palenquero creole. One manifestation of “fancy” Palenquero speech is the detachment of bound verbal morphemes, which when freely reattached to other elements serve as discourse markers validating “true” Palenquero. The full range of emergent discourse validators is found among community members regarded as the “best” speakers and presented to visitors.

Diversity in the Numeral Systems of Australian Languages

Claire Bowern
Yale University

Jason Zentz
Yale University

Abstract. While the numeral systems of Australian languages are small, they are not uniform. In this article we shed light on the extent of variation in small numeral systems by systematically surveying 189 languages from Pama-Nyungan and non-Pama-Nyungan families. We show that, contra previous assumptions, Australian languages vary extensively in the limits of their numeral system, in the ways in which smaller numerals may be combined to form larger ones, and in their ability to denote vague quantities like ‘some’ or ‘few’. We also investigate the etymological sources of words for numerals and find that few terms are reconstructible.

Kin Terms and Context among the Gooniyandi

William B. McGregor
Aarhus University

Abstract. This article discusses some unusual uses of kin terms in Gooniyandi (non-Pama-Nyungan, Australia), uses that are unexpected given their senses as they appear from the context of elicitation. These usages are strongly associated with specific linguistic and interactive contexts; they are not, however, determined by the contexts, but equally construct them. It is argued that these uses imply the need to distinguish coded semantic meaning, contextual meaning, and inferred pragmatic meaning. The system of kin terms is a dynamic one that is deployed strategically by speakers to manipulate kin relations in their attempts to achieve interpersonal goals in interaction with others.

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