[Lexicog] Digest Number 1050

[Wayne Leman]

<snip>

> I just read Steyvers and Tenenbaum. I don't know anything about 
> statistics,
> so I didn't gain much from it. But the article raises a number of issues
> that I am very interested in. Their semantic networks and central nodes 
> are
> very similar to semantic domains and other perspectives on semantics. I've
> been trying to get a handle on why the mental lexicon tends to clump and
> cluster around key words.
> Ron Moe

Ron, are you searching for explanations other than cultural saliency? I've 
noted what others have, that lexicons tend to be highly developed for those 
semantic domains which reflect a highly developed area of the culture of the 
people speaking that language.

So, for instance, Cheyennes, with whom I have worked, have many terms for 
different kinds of horses. Horses have been very important to the Cheyennes 
since their introduction via Mexico quite some time ago.

There are many terms for cuts of meat. That reflects the hunting part of 
their traditional hunter-gatherer culture, where it was important to butcher 
a buffalo or deer well and to use the different parts in traditional ways.

There used to be a number of terms for growing corn, when Cheyennes were 
stationary long enough to do some planting. I've seen some of the terms in 
older lists of Cheyenne words. But the corn growing terms are nearly extinct 
now that Cheyennes no longer grow corn. (It's easier to buy corn at the 
grocery store.)

Wayne
-----
Wayne Leman
Cheyenne dictionary online:
http://cheyenne.110mb.com 


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