[Lingtyp] Words for 'left' and 'right' in Australian languages

[TasakuTsunoda]

                                                    2024/10/12

Dear Colleagues,

 

    Re: Words for ‘left’ and ‘right’ in Australian languages

 

1. Would you please help me? I wish to seek information on Australian languages. I would also appreciate information on other languages as well.

    I am making this request on behalf of a friend of mine who is a psychologist (not a linguist).

 

2. In the Australian languages I worked on, e.g. Djaru (or Jaru) of northwest Australia (Tsunoda 1981) and Warrongo of northeast Australia (Tsunoda 2011), I have not found any word for ‘left’ or any word for ‘right’.

    In these languages, expressions that will correspond to the English sentences below will be possible.

 

(1) Person A sat in front of Person B.

(2) Person A sat behind Person B.

(3) Person A sat north of Person B.

(4) Person A sat east of Person B.

(5) Person A sat south of Person B.

(6) Person A sat west of Person B. 

 

3. Are there any published works that point out the absence of the words for ‘left’ and ‘right’ in Australian languages?

    If you have PDFs of such works, would you be able to send them to me?

 

4. I suppose some of the list members will be likely to recommend works by Stephen Levinson. I would like to know which works by him are the most directly relevant to my request.

 

5. Again, I wish to seek information on Australian languages. I would also appreciate information on other languages as well.

 

Best wishes and thanking you in advance,

 

Tasaku Tsunoda

 

Tsunoda, Tasaku. 1981. The Djaru language of Kimberley, Western Australia. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Australian National University.

 

Tsunoda, Tasaku. 2011. A grammar of Warrongo. Berlin & New York: De Gruyter Mouton.

 

 

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