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Vol. 55, no. 1 (Spring 2013)

Contents

Abstracts

Linguistic Archaeology, Kinship Terms, and Language Contact in Suriname

Robert Borges
Radboud University, Nijmegen

Abstract. As a relatively young linguistic area, Suriname offers great possibilities for understanding the processes that produce complex outcomes of language contact. In this article, directionality, mechanisms, and relative chronology of contact-induced changes are reconstructed by examining synchronic variation and diachronic changes in the semantics of kinship terminology for a sample of Surinamese languages.

The Quichua System of Beliefs about Language Acquisition and Social Use: Cultural Resilience in Quichua-Spanish Contact

Lise Bouchard
Runajambi, Institute for the Study of Quichua Culture and Health, Otavalo, Ecuador

Abstract. Exploratory research conducted in Imbabura, Ecuador, reveals that the Quichua system of beliefs about language acquisition and social use involves three components: cognitive development, language socialization, and childcare (more precisely, hygiene and diet). Most interviewees shared this core belief system regardless of their score on a biculturalism scale, age, educational background, and mother tongue. The Quichua belief system remains even when linguistic shift occurs, in which case it is transposed to the acquisition of the new language (Spanish). Linguistic shift thus does not necessarily imply global acculturation.

The Pragmatics of Prophet-Praise Formulas in Jordan

Fathi Migdadi
Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia

Muhammad A. Badarneh
Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan American University of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Abstract. This article explores the pragmatics of prototypically religious prophet-praise formulas as used in everyday interactional settings in Jordan. Analysis of naturally occurring data shows that formulas of this type serve various pragmatic functions—place-holding during hesitations, seeking protection from envy, marking success, and intensifying the basic message of the utterance. Imperative and interrogative versions are used to terminate a disruptive activity or to elicit involvement and agreement, and as a device for claiming the floor. The pragmatic deployment of these formulas shows the intertwining of language, culture, and religion in communicating meaning in Arabic.

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