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Correlation of textual and spatial reference

This and that
  • Francesca Merlan
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Land and Language in Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country
This chapter is in the book Land and Language in Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country

Abstract

This paper considers spatial/textual overlaps in the system of the three basic demonstrative categories, roughly translatable as ‘this’, ‘that’ and ‘yonder’ in Jawoyn, a Gunwinyguan language of the upper Northern Territory. The paper especially focuses on the proximal (‘this’) demonstrative in relation to the ‘that’ demonstrative, and argues that the former should be understood as a psycho-social category that implies ‘perceptual newness’, a concentration of focus, and unrecoverability from either prior discourse or assumable identifiability. The paper thus does not treat this ‘proximal’ demonstrative category a priori as grounded in some fixed spatial-locational sense, but as including semantic dimensions that enable its functioning as an index blending and expressing spatial differentiation in relation to other aspects of information, content and identifiability, including non-deictic socio-cultural ones. As always in demonstrative systems, its contrast with other demonstrative categories also conditions its indexical potential.

Abstract

This paper considers spatial/textual overlaps in the system of the three basic demonstrative categories, roughly translatable as ‘this’, ‘that’ and ‘yonder’ in Jawoyn, a Gunwinyguan language of the upper Northern Territory. The paper especially focuses on the proximal (‘this’) demonstrative in relation to the ‘that’ demonstrative, and argues that the former should be understood as a psycho-social category that implies ‘perceptual newness’, a concentration of focus, and unrecoverability from either prior discourse or assumable identifiability. The paper thus does not treat this ‘proximal’ demonstrative category a priori as grounded in some fixed spatial-locational sense, but as including semantic dimensions that enable its functioning as an index blending and expressing spatial differentiation in relation to other aspects of information, content and identifiability, including non-deictic socio-cultural ones. As always in demonstrative systems, its contrast with other demonstrative categories also conditions its indexical potential.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface and acknowledgements vii
  4. General maps ix
  5. Land and language in Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country 1
  6. Appendix 27
  7. Reconstructions
  8. Connecting Thaypanic 39
  9. Regions without borders 61
  10. The Flinders Islands and Cape Melville people in history 85
  11. Fission, fusion and syncretism 105
  12. World views
  13. Groups, country and personhood on the upper Wenlock River, Cape York Peninsula 139
  14. Hyponymy and the structure of Kuuk Thaayorre kinship 159
  15. Possession in Kuku-Thaypan through a comparative lens 179
  16. Correlation of textual and spatial reference 199
  17. Contacts and contrasts
  18. Botanists, Aborigines and native plants on the Queensland frontier 221
  19. ‘There is no truth whatever as regards any Aboriginal being flogged by the Police’ 241
  20. Multiple views of paradise 263
  21. Shared country, different stories 285
  22. Transformations
  23. Born, signed and named 305
  24. The problem of ‘tribal names’ in eastern Australia 337
  25. Going forward holding back 361
  26. Same but different 383
  27. The story of Old Man Frank 409
  28. Repatriations
  29. On the edges of their memories 435
  30. Making gambarr 455
  31. Index of places 481
  32. Index of languages, language families and groups 483
  33. General index 487
https://doi.org/10.1075/clu.18.10mer

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Preface and acknowledgements vii
  4. General maps ix
  5. Land and language in Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Country 1
  6. Appendix 27
  7. Reconstructions
  8. Connecting Thaypanic 39
  9. Regions without borders 61
  10. The Flinders Islands and Cape Melville people in history 85
  11. Fission, fusion and syncretism 105
  12. World views
  13. Groups, country and personhood on the upper Wenlock River, Cape York Peninsula 139
  14. Hyponymy and the structure of Kuuk Thaayorre kinship 159
  15. Possession in Kuku-Thaypan through a comparative lens 179
  16. Correlation of textual and spatial reference 199
  17. Contacts and contrasts
  18. Botanists, Aborigines and native plants on the Queensland frontier 221
  19. ‘There is no truth whatever as regards any Aboriginal being flogged by the Police’ 241
  20. Multiple views of paradise 263
  21. Shared country, different stories 285
  22. Transformations
  23. Born, signed and named 305
  24. The problem of ‘tribal names’ in eastern Australia 337
  25. Going forward holding back 361
  26. Same but different 383
  27. The story of Old Man Frank 409
  28. Repatriations
  29. On the edges of their memories 435
  30. Making gambarr 455
  31. Index of places 481
  32. Index of languages, language families and groups 483
  33. General index 487
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