[Lingtyp] Lingtyp Digest, Vol 114, Issue 3

Mon Mar 4 21:05:57 UTC 2024

Hi Maria,

In Chini (Madang, Papua New Guinea) there's a term for the physical body,
but distinctions are made depending upon what is meant. For instance you
would not say your body (prɨ) is cold, you would say your 'skin' (nyarkɨ)
is cold. There is an ungendered term for human being, 'wutmɨ'. The mind is
conceptualized in terms of one's thoughts (ndɨnkɨ). For ex, babies that
cant talk yet are not construed in Chini cultural terms as having
thoughts/minds, but they do have a will/stomach (mɨyi).

Inasmuch as one's will may be spiritually conceived, in Chini and many if
not all cultures of New Guinea, the will is a huge deal and is (I could be
wrong but I believe, in New Guinea always) associated with the stomach.
There is a big spiritual component here within animism as well, though the
anthers know more about that stuff. In Madang it's common to say things (in
whichever language) like "we have now all become of one stomach (will)"
once reconciliation over a dispute/problem has been achieved, or people
have come to an agreement about something and have feasted about it
together (then, having eaten the same "reconciliation food" (Tok Pisin
wanbel kaikai), they "become of one stomach". So here, the Chini
distinction would be totally alien to Western culture assumptions, since we
believe things like individuals have physical stomachs that are totally
separate with no possibility of being affected by those of other people
(without getting into the even hairier questions regarding the will).

I don't know of a Chini concept for 'soul' but of course lots of PNG lgs
do, I would guess, a linguistic effect resulting from missionization. In
Chini there's a word for spiritual power (amh'ɨ) but only as in, power that
a person can access, but that is more like something outside oneself,
rather than one's own spirit, or whatever.

Cheers
Joseph

On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 3:55 PM <lingtyp-request at listserv.linguistlist.org>
wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Body and soul / body and mind (Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm)
>    2. Re: Body and soul / body and mind (Marianne Mithun)
>    3. Re: Body and soul / body and mind (Guillaume Jacques)
>    4. Re: Body and soul / body and mind (Peter Bakker)
>    5. Re: Body and soul / body and mind (PONSONNET Maia)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2024 15:27:41 +0000
> From: Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm <tamm at ling.su.se>
> To: "LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org"
>         <LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
> Message-ID: <91889031-BEFB-4C5F-83FA-40D91F6B315F at ling.su.se>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> I?ve got a question from a colleague working in health psychology about
> the dichotomies such as ?body vs. soul?, ?body vs. mind? etc, as opposed to
> ?person?, ?human being etc.: how spread are these across the cultures and
> languages of the world? I know that a number of languages lack a dedicated
> word for ?body?, but not so much about the distinction between the physical
> and non-physical aspects of human beings.
>
> I would be grateful for any information / references / pointers.
>
> All the best,
> Maria / Masha
>
> Prof. Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
> Dept. of linguistics, Stockholm University
> 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
> tel.: +46-8-16 26 20
> tamm at ling.su.se<mailto:tamm at ling.su.se>
> http://www.ling.su.se/tamm
>
>
>
>
>
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>
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2024 09:16:58 -0800
> From: Marianne Mithun <mithun at linguistics.ucsb.edu>
> To: Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm <tamm at ling.su.se>
> Cc: "LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org"
>         <LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
> Message-ID:
>         <CAKvd2fAMvQrMW+9fyAFGiPY3DzQ_0Xr0+gROaq8rN=
> cH_BdkeQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Dear Masha and All,
>
> Northern Iroquoian languages contain sizable inventories of verbs with
> incorporated nouns 'body', 'mind', or 'matter (affair)', which group
> concepts into those with physical, mental, or abstract effects.
>
> Marianne
>
> On Mon, Mar 4, 2024 at 7:27?AM Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm via Lingtyp <
> lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> wrote:
>
> > Dear colleagues,
> >
> > I?ve got a question from a colleague working in health psychology about
> > the dichotomies such as ?body vs. soul?, ?body vs. mind? etc, as opposed
> to
> > ?person?, ?human being etc.: how spread are these across the cultures and
> > languages of the world? I know that a number of languages lack a
> dedicated
> > word for ?body?, but not so much about the distinction between the
> physical
> > and non-physical aspects of human beings.
> >
> > I would be grateful for any information / references / pointers.
> >
> > All the best,
> > Maria / Masha
> >
> > Prof. Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
> > Dept. of linguistics, Stockholm University
> > 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
> > tel.: +46-8-16 26 20
> > tamm at ling.su.se
> > http://www.ling.su.se/tamm
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Lingtyp mailing list
> > Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> > https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
> >
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2024 18:35:59 +0100
> From: Guillaume Jacques <rgyalrongskad at gmail.com>
> To: Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm <tamm at ling.su.se>
> Cc: "LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org"
>         <LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
> Message-ID:
>         <CAAzt3zbHp1GxvPyiEso7ycaOwbj=
> pyX0HLtoz605PBqK0KaUHQ at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Dear Masha,
>
> In Sino-Tibetan languages, there is surprisingly a cognate set for "soul",
> exemplified by Japhug *t?-rla*, Tibetan *bla*, Jinghpo *nu?mla?* etc  (see
> other cognates in STEDT Etymon #2264 (berkeley.edu)
> <https://stedt.berkeley.edu/~stedt-cgi/rootcanal.pl/etymon/2264>). Words
> translatable by "mind" or "body" vary a lot, but in Tibetan cultural areas
> they tend to be borrowed from Tibetan (Japhug *t?-s?m* "mind", *t?-pho?bu
> *from
> Tibetan *sems* "mind", *phu?.po* "heap, body"), and in Tibetan they have
> acquired meanings calqued from Sanskrit *manas*- and *skandha*-,
> respectively.
>
> Guillaume
>
>
>
> Le lun. 4 mars 2024 ? 16:27, Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm via Lingtyp <
> lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> a ?crit :
>
> > Dear colleagues,
> >
> > I?ve got a question from a colleague working in health psychology about
> > the dichotomies such as ?body vs. soul?, ?body vs. mind? etc, as opposed
> to
> > ?person?, ?human being etc.: how spread are these across the cultures and
> > languages of the world? I know that a number of languages lack a
> dedicated
> > word for ?body?, but not so much about the distinction between the
> physical
> > and non-physical aspects of human beings.
> >
> > I would be grateful for any information / references / pointers.
> >
> > All the best,
> > Maria / Masha
> >
> > Prof. Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
> > Dept. of linguistics, Stockholm University
> > 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
> > tel.: +46-8-16 26 20
> > tamm at ling.su.se
> > http://www.ling.su.se/tamm
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Lingtyp mailing list
> > Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
> > https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
> >
>
>
> --
> Guillaume Jacques
>
> Directeur de recherches
> CNRS (CRLAO) - EPHE- INALCO
> https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=1XCp2-oAAAAJ&hl=fr
> https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/295
> <http://cnrs.academia.edu/GuillaumeJacques>
> http://panchr.hypotheses.org/
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2024 19:09:18 +0000
> From: Peter Bakker <linpb at cc.au.dk>
> To: "LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org"
>         <LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org>, Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
>         <tamm at ling.su.se>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
> Message-ID:
>         <
> DB8PR01MB6044377380E902D655DBEF8998232 at DB8PR01MB6044.eurprd01.prod.exchangelabs.com
> >
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>
> Dear Masha,
>
> Colleague Carsten Levisen mentions this book by Bert Peeters:
>
>
> https://www.routledge.com/Heart--and-Soul-Like-Constructs-across-Languages-Cultures-and-Epochs/Peeters/p/book/9781032093949#
>
> in the frame of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM).
> Peter Bakker
> ________________________________
> Fra: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> p? vegne af
> Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm via Lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Sendt: 4. marts 2024 16:27
> Til: LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org <LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Emne: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> I?ve got a question from a colleague working in health psychology about
> the dichotomies such as ?body vs. soul?, ?body vs. mind? etc, as opposed to
> ?person?, ?human being etc.: how spread are these across the cultures and
> languages of the world? I know that a number of languages lack a dedicated
> word for ?body?, but not so much about the distinction between the physical
> and non-physical aspects of human beings.
>
> I would be grateful for any information / references / pointers.
>
> All the best,
> Maria / Masha
>
> Prof. Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
> Dept. of linguistics, Stockholm University
> 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
> tel.: +46-8-16 26 20
> tamm at ling.su.se<mailto:tamm at ling.su.se>
> http://www.ling.su.se/tamm
>
>
>
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2024 19:54:47 +0000
> From: PONSONNET Maia <maia.ponsonnet at cnrs.fr>
> To: "lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org"
>         <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
> Message-ID: <2412ed5250914396b32d40e98984ac3a at cnrs.fr>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>
> Dear all,
>
> I attach a couple of articles on related lexical categories in Dalabon
> (Australia).
>
> The 2009 one is the most relevant I suppose.
>
> With kind regards, Ma?a
>
>
> Ma?a Ponsonnet
>
> Charg?e de Recherche HDR @ CNRS Dynamique Du Langage
>
> 14, avenue Berthelot, 69007 Lyon, FRANCE  -- +33 4 72 72 65 46
>
> Adjunct @ University of Western Australia
>
> + + + + +
>
> Co-r?dactrice en chef du Journal de la Soci?t? des Oc?anistes
>
> https://journals.openedition.org/jso/
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> De : Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> de la part de
> Peter Bakker via Lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Envoy? : lundi 4 mars 2024 20:09
> ? : LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org; Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
> Objet : Re: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
>
> Dear Masha,
>
> Colleague Carsten Levisen mentions this book by Bert Peeters:
>
>
> https://www.routledge.com/Heart--and-Soul-Like-Constructs-across-Languages-Cultures-and-Epochs/Peeters/p/book/9781032093949#
>
> in the frame of Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM).
> Peter Bakker
> ________________________________
> Fra: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> p? vegne af
> Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm via Lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Sendt: 4. marts 2024 16:27
> Til: LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org <LINGTYP at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Emne: [Lingtyp] Body and soul / body and mind
>
> Dear colleagues,
>
> I?ve got a question from a colleague working in health psychology about
> the dichotomies such as ?body vs. soul?, ?body vs. mind? etc, as opposed to
> ?person?, ?human being etc.: how spread are these across the cultures and
> languages of the world? I know that a number of languages lack a dedicated
> word for ?body?, but not so much about the distinction between the physical
> and non-physical aspects of human beings.
>
> I would be grateful for any information / references / pointers.
>
> All the best,
> Maria / Masha
>
> Prof. Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm
> Dept. of linguistics, Stockholm University
> 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
> tel.: +46-8-16 26 20
> tamm at ling.su.se<mailto:tamm at ling.su.se>
> http://www.ling.su.se/tamm
>
>
>
>
>
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> End of Lingtyp Digest, Vol 114, Issue 3
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