Language in an ontological register: Embodied speech in the Northwest Amazon of Colombia and Brazil

Chernela, Janet

doi:10.1016/j.langcom.2018.02.006

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Each language is based on computational procedures and mentalistic processes inherent in a person. This ontology of language, promoted by structuralist linguistics, crystallized in interaction with cognitive approaches to learning and behavior, which came to the fore in the midtwentieth century (1950s and beyond) in response to the perceived inadequacy of previous behaviorism and the position of mental processes as reliable objects of scientific research (Chernela, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Language as a communication resource and its place in the representation of world practices

et al. 2021

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The paper considers language as a communication resource and its place in the representation of world practices is evaluated from the standpoint of a philosophical and linguistic approach. The authors note that discussions of language are necessarily based on ontological, sometimes contradictory ideas about languages or language use. These reports are not limited to categories that attempt to describe and analyze them. Moving forward, there are still opportunities for more interaction with language ontologies. Thinking in the ontological register is not an interpretation or description, but rather, much more importantly, it is the identification and display of hypotheses hidden in the world of language. Researchers insist on assigning ontological significance to various practices and regulations. This requires moving away from ideological analysis and the assumption that they represent multiple points of view that illuminate various partial aspects of an independently existing and ultimately determined phenomenon, and towards an approach that aims to purify reality - worlds - as created through practices. It can be stated that specific ways of perceiving a language are more complex and, therefore, more comprehensive descriptions of languages. It is inevitable that contradictory ideas about language can coexist.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Language as a communication resource and its place in the representation of world practices

et al. 2021

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“…The difference between these phenomena is further blurred in situations where linguistic exogamy is accompanied by practices of passive multilingualism (i.e. where spouses adhere more or less consistently to their own languages/varieties) -as encountered in the Vaupés (Chernela, 2018;Sorensen, 1967), as well as in parts of the Xingu (Mehinaku & Franchetto, 2015), the Chaco (Campbell & Grondona, 2010), the Guyanas (Camargo, 2008), and elsewhere (in Amazonia and beyond; see for example Khachaturyan & Konoshenko, 2021). The relevance of language in establishing social units that may be implicated in exogamic practices (see the second section above) is likely to encourage situations where spouses speak differently, even while language may be more or less of an ideological focal point, and the degree of linguistic difference may vary (see Camargo, 2008, p. 111; see also Stanford, 2008, on Sui dialect exogamy in China).…”

Section: Sociolects and Registers: Navigating Human Social Spheresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Crucially, as I develop below, this disjunctive comparability also applies to language: each social entity is understood to have its own language, with full communicative capacity within its respective social sphere, but increasing in distinctiveness (and potential incomprehensibility) along a scale of relative social difference spanning human groups, animals, spirits, and even plants (see e.g. Chernela, 2018;Chaumeil, 1993;Nuckolls, 1996).…”

Section: Language and Perspective In Amazoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversifying multilingualism: Languages and lects in Amazonia

Epps

2021

International Journal of Bilingualism

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Purpose: This paper argues for an ethnographically grounded approach to the study of linguistic diversity and multilingualism, taking local ideologies as a starting point for understanding how language varieties emerge and are maintained. It encourages a broad view of multilingualism that includes registers, lects, and other ways in which linguistic and social difference may be aligned and negotiated. Approach: Taking indigenous Amazonia as a case study, we survey evidence for linguistic variants associated with social distinctions that cross-cut many of the divisions conventionally associated with distinct languages, and consider relevant cultural ideologies. Data and Analysis: A range of varieties are considered, including genderlects, whereby men and women use markedly different linguistic forms; variants associated with descent groups and affinal relations; special pet and hunting registers; and shamanic language. Conclusions: Amazonia exhibits a wide range of lects and registers alongside its diversity of languages. These variants are implicated in multilingual practices across the region, and their existence and use are arguably informed by the same ideological framework as that which guides the use of discrete languages. The Amazonian case underscores the importance of casting the net wide in the investigation of small-scale multilingual contexts more generally. Originality: Studies of multilingualism have tended to focus primarily on interactions involving discrete languages, that is, the standard targets of grammars and dictionaries. This contribution brings these other varieties into the conversation, and emphasizes an emic, culturally articulated view of multilingual practice. Significance/Implications: This article illustrates the importance of a broad, ethnographically grounded perspective in the study of small-scale multilingualism, and encourages approaches that consider a range of linguistic variants.

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“…What seems to be at stake in “strong” and “weak” approaches is the role of ontologies, of language or otherwise, in worlding (Keane 2013; Descola 2013; Mannheim 2015), what Descola calls the “process of piecing together what is perceived in our environment” (2014, 272). On the stronger side of the ontologies debate, we might locate Chernela (2018) who sees ideology as artifice. In contrast, for Chernela, an ontology of language “is not at odds with reality: it is the actuality in which speakers live and speak” (2018, 30).…”

Section: Linguistic Natures Ideological Assemblages and Language Rementioning

confidence: 99%

Linguistic Natures: Method, Media, and Language Reclamation in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Ennis

2020

J Linguistic Anthropol

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In Napo, Ecuador, many speakers experience the use of the standardized variety Kichwa Unificado in formal education and other forms of institutional language revitalization to be a serious imposition upon their regional varieties of Kichwa. This article explores the assumptions about the nature of language-or what have been called ontologies of language (Hauck and Heurich 2018; Ferguson 2019)-that shape responses to language revitalization in Napo. At stake in debates over language standardization are fundamental assumptions of the nature of language and its connection to personhood. Grassroots Amazonian Kichwa media focused on "listening" and "remembering," reveal the importance of not only ideological clarification (Kroskrity 2009), but also ontological clarification in language revitalization and advocacy. [ontologies of language, linguistic ideological assemblages, language standardization, language revitalization, Indigenous media]

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Language in an ontological register: Embodied speech in the Northwest Amazon of Colombia and Brazil

Cited by 16 publications

References 20 publications

Language as a communication resource and its place in the representation of world practices

Language as a communication resource and its place in the representation of world practices

Diversifying multilingualism: Languages and lects in Amazonia

Linguistic Natures: Method, Media, and Language Reclamation in the Ecuadorian Amazon

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