Linguistics Inquiry -

[Christine Patricia Murphy]

{A request for vocabulary information in regards to Austronesian languages.}


Hello, all:

        My name is Christine Murphy; I am currently a senior in Columbia
University's Anthropology department, and would like to ask if I may draw
on your experience and/or the resources of your friends or departments to
help inform my senior thesis.

        I am looking into the cross-cultural significance of the
physiological and emotional responses associated with blushing, and their
implications for nonverbal communication.   I wonder if you have
encountered related terms in your studies of Austronesian languages (for
the internal response, if not for an outward physical sign: verb, noun, or
adjective).

        The scope of such terms might include (but is certainly not
limited to) associations with the physical manifestations of
embarrassment, shame, anger, sexual attraction, or modesty, my particular
interest being evidence of perceivable facial difference, perhaps by a
change in skin appearance (as is indicated in the English verb "to
blush"). Here at Columbia I unfortunately do not have ready print
resources for the languages that you study - but more importantly, your
experience as researchers or perhaps speakers of these languages offers me
a far greater opportunity, to be sure that the terms and uses I refer to
in my paper are current, salient, not relics of linguists overeager to
find one-to-one relationships between familiar and foreign language
systems.  Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated; if you
know of other professors/aficianadoes who might be able to help
me as well, I would be grateful if you would be so kind as to forward this
message to them.

Many thanks, and best wishes for the new year -



Sincerely,


Christine Murphy
cpm23 at columbia.edu