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Free keywords:
anthropological linguistics, pragmatics, Bronislaw Malinowski, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kilivila, greeting behavior, emotion control, ways of speaking, "biga sopa"
Abstract:
Bronislaw Malinowski – based on his experience during his field research on
the Trobriand Islands – pointed out that language is first and foremost a tool for
creating social bonds. It is a mode of behavior and the meaning of an utterance
is constituted by its pragmatic function. Malinowski’s ideas finally led to the
formation of the subdiscipline “anthropological linguistics”. This paper presents three observations of the Trobrianders’ attitude to their language Kilivila and their language use in social interactions. They illustrate that whoever wants to successfully research the role of language, culture and cognition in social interaction must be on ‘common ground’ with the researched community.
