Parsing particles in Wa’ikhana

Authors

  • Nicholas Williams University of Potsdam
  • Kristine Stenzel Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
  • Barbara Fox University of Colorado Boulder

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31513/linguistica.2020.v16nEsp.a43715

Keywords:

Amazonian languages, Wa’ikhana (Piratapuyo), conversation analysis, particles, continuer.

Abstract

This article analyzes the use of several response particles in face-to-face interaction in Wa’ikhana, an East Tukano language of northwestern Amazonia. Adopting a Conversation Analysis approach, we explore details of each particle, considering their prosodic shapes, the action contexts in which they occur, and their sequential positioning, all crucial to understanding their meanings in interaction. Our analysis shows that Wa’ikhana response particles exhibit both universal and language-particular properties, thus demonstrating the contributions of data from lesser-studied languages to research on language in social interaction, and the value of an interactional approach in the study of under-described, and often endangered, indigenous languages.

Author Biographies

Nicholas Williams, University of Potsdam

University of Potsdam.

Kristine Stenzel, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)

Barbara Fox, University of Colorado Boulder

University of Colorado Boulder.

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Published

2020-11-07