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Forests : the cross...
Forests : the cross-linguistic perspective
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- Burenhult, Niclas (author)
- Lund University,Lunds universitet,Allmän språkvetenskap,Avdelningen för lingvistik och kognitiv semiotik,Sektion 6,Språk- och litteraturcentrum,Institutioner,Humanistiska och teologiska fakulteterna,General Linguistics,Division of Linguistics and Cognitive Semiotics,Section 6,Centre for Languages and Literature,Departments,Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology,Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
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- Hill, Clair (author)
- Lund University,Lunds universitet,Humanistlaboratoriet,Fakultetsgemensamma verksamheter,Humanistiska och teologiska fakulteterna,Lund University Humanities Lab,Units,Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology,Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics,University of Sydney
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- Huber, Juliette (author)
- University of Regensburg
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- van Putten, Saskia (author)
- Radboud University Nijmegen
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- Rybka, Konrad (author)
- University of California, Berkeley
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- San Roque, Lila (author)
- Radboud University Nijmegen
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(creator_code:org_t)
- 2017-12-14
- 2017
- English.
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In: Geographica Helvetica. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0016-7312 .- 2194-8798. ; 72, s. 455-464
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Abstract
Subject headings
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- Do all humans perceive, think and talk about tree cover (‘forests’) in more or less the same way? International forestry programs frequently seem to operate on the assumption that they do. However, recent advances in the language sciences show that languages vary greatly as to how the landscape domain is lexicalized and grammaticalized. Different languages segment and label the large-scale environment and its features according to astonishingly different semantic principles, often in tandem with highly culture-specific practices and ideologies. Presumed basic concepts like mountain, valley and river cannot in fact be straightforwardly translated across languages. In this paper we describe, compare and evaluate some of the semantic diversity observed in relation to forests. We do so on the basis of first-hand linguistic field data from a global sample of indigenous categorization systems as they are manifested in the following languages: Avatime (Ghana), Duna (Papua New Guinea), Jahai (Malay Peninsula), Lokono (the Guianas), Makalero (East Timor), and Umpila/Kuuku Ya’u (Cape York Peninsula). We show that basic linguistic categories relating to tree cover vary considerably in their principles of semantic encoding across languages, and that forest is a challenging category from the point of view of inter-cultural translatability. This has consequences for current global policies and programs aimed at standardizing forest definitions and measurements. It calls for greater attention to categorial diversity in designing and implementing such agendas, and for receptiveness to and understanding of local indigenous classification systems in communicating those agendas on the ground.
Subject headings
- HUMANIORA -- Språk och litteratur -- Jämförande språkvetenskap och allmän lingvistik (hsv//swe)
- HUMANITIES -- Languages and Literature -- General Language Studies and Linguistics (hsv//eng)
Publication and Content Type
- art (subject category)
- ref (subject category)
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