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Lexicography in-your-face: The active semantics of Pastaza Quichua ideophones

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 April 2017

Janis B. Nuckolls ,
Tod D. Swanson ,
Diana Shelton ,
Alexander Rice  and
Sarah Hatton
Janis B. Nuckolls*
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University
Tod D. Swanson*
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Diana Shelton*
Affiliation:
Independent researcher
Alexander Rice*
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University
Sarah Hatton*
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University
*
janis_nuckolls@byu.edu
tod.swanson@asu.edu
dianafshelton@gmail.com
arrozito21@gmail.com
sarah@henryshammock.com
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Abstract

We argue that a multimodal approach to defining a depictive class of words called ‘ideophones’ by linguists is essential for grasping their meanings. Our argument for this approach is based on the formal properties of Pastaza Quichua ideophones, which set them apart from the non-ideophonic lexicon, and on the cultural assumptions brought by speakers to their use. We analyze deficiencies in past attempts to define this language's ideophones, which have used only audio data. We offer, instead, an audiovisual corpus which we call an ‘antidictionary’, because it defines words not with other words, but with clips featuring actual contexts of use. The major discovery revealed by studying these clips is that ideophones’ meanings can be clarified by means of a distinction found in modality and American Sign Language studies. This distinction between speaker-internal and speaker-external perspective is evident in the intonational and gestural details of ideophones’ use.

Résumé

Nous soutenons que pour définir une classe de mots descriptifs appelés « idéophones », il est essentiel d'adopter une approche multimodale, si l'on veut saisir toutes les nuances de leur signification. Notre argument en faveur de cette approche se base d'une part sur les propriétés formelles des idéophones Pastaza Quichua, propriétés qui les distinguent du lexique non idéophonique, et d'autre part sur les hypothèses culturelles que les locuteurs contribuent à leur utilisation. Nous analysons les lacunes des efforts antérieurs cherchant à définir les idéophones de cette langue, qui n'ont fait appel qu’à des données audio. Nous proposons plutôt un corpus audiovisuel, que nous appelons « anti-dictionnaire » parce qu'il définit des mots non pas à l'aide d'autres mots, mais avec des vidéoclips qui mettent en scène d'authentiques contextes d'utilisation. La principale révélation de ces clips est que les significations des idéophones peuvent être clarifiées à l'aide d'une distinction que l'on trouve dans les études sur la modalité, et sur l'ASL (la langue des signes américaine); cette distinction entre les perspectives interne et externe au locuteur se manifeste dans des détails d'intonation et de gestuelle qui caractérisent l'usage des idéophones.

Keywords

ideophonesgesturelexicographyQuechuapragmaticsidéophonesgesteslexicographieQuechuapragmatique
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 62 , Issue 2: Structuring sensory imagery: Ideophones across languages and cultures/La structuration de l'imagerie sensorielle : les idéophones dans diverses langues et cultures , June 2017 , pp. 154 - 172
Copyright
© Canadian Linguistic Association/Association canadienne de linguistique 2017 

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