17.1763, Books: Anthropological Ling/ Socioling: Merlan, Rumsey

Sun Jun 11 13:30:54 UTC 2006

LINGUIST List: Vol-17-1763. Sun Jun 11 2006. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 17.1763, Books: Anthropological Ling/ Socioling: Merlan, Rumsey

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Wayne State U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>

Reviews (reviews at linguistlist.org) 
        Laura Welcher, Rosetta Project / Long Now Foundation  

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org/

The LINGUIST List is funded by Eastern Michigan University, Wayne
State University, and donations from subscribers and publishers.

Editor for this issue: Maria Moreno-Rollins <maria at linguistlist.org>
================================================================  

Links to the websites of all LINGUIST's supporting publishers
are available at the end of this issue. 

===========================Directory==============================  

1)
Date: 10-Jun-2006
From: Joyce Reid < jreid at cup.org >
Subject: Ku Waru: Merlan, Rumsey 

-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 09:29:34
From: Joyce Reid < jreid at cup.org >
Subject: Ku Waru: Merlan, Rumsey 

Title: Ku Waru 
Subtitle: Language and Segmentary Politics in the Western Nebilyer Valley, Papua New
Guinea

Series Title: Studies in the Social and Cultural Foundations of Language, 10  

Publication Year: 2006 
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
	   http://us.cambridge.org

Book URL: http://us.cambridge.org/titles/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521025249 

Author: Francesca Merlan
Author: Alan Rumsey

Hardback: ISBN: 0521323398 Pages: 405 Price: U.S. $ 80.00
Paperback: ISBN: 521025249 Pages: 405 Price: U.S. $ 58.00
Paperback: ISBN: 521025249 Pages: 405 Price: U.K. £ 33.00

Abstract:

The highlanders of New Guinea are renowned for their elaborate systems of
ceremonial exchange. Although much has been written about them, previous
accounts have concentrated far less on the conduct of exchange events than
on the structure of exchange systems. This book deals centrally with the
conduct of particular exchange events, and shows through examination of
them how larger social structures are reproduced and transformed. 

As part of the emphasis on exchange as social action, the book closely
examines the oratory that plays a crucial part in the events. Basing their
study on original fieldwork carried out in the Nebilyer Valley, Francesca
Merlan and Alan Rumsey focus on an inter related set of large-scale
compensation payments which arose out of an episode of warfare. This cycle
is particularly remarkable, as women stopped the fighting, and participated
for the first time as transactors and orators in the ensuing exchange
events. This book furthers our understanding of the interaction between
social structures and historical events; and particularly of the crucial
role of talk. It will be of special interest to anthropologists and linguists.

The writing admirably combines detailed ethnography, clear summaries of the
state of the Melanesianist field, and the broader theoretical implications
of their work. Ethnography at its best.   
Social & Behavioral Sciences

As the data are excellent and provide much food for thought, the book
certainly validates its claim 'to contribute to a more fully accountable
anthropology of situated action'... a major contribution to the textual
microstudy of exchange systems.   
Eric Schwimmer, Pacific Affairs 

List of illustrations; 
List of tables; 
List of abbreviations; 
Preface and acknowledgments; 
1. Introduction; 
2. The setting; 
3. Some aspects of Ku Waru segmentary sociality; 
4. Ceremonial exchange and marriage in the Western Nebilyer Valley; 
5. Some linguistic structures of segmentary politics; 
6. Warfare compensation payment of Laulku: an analysis; 
7. Compensation at Palimung and the Kulka women's club; 
8. The events in perspective; 
9. Perspectives on 'event'; 
Appendices 
A. Transcript of proceedings at Kailge on July 24, 1983; 
B. Grammatical sketch of Bo Una, Ku Waru dialect; 
C. The conduct of warfare; 
D. Ku Waru metalinguistic expressions;
 Chapter notes; 
Glossary; 
References; 
Index. 

Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics
                     Sociolinguistics

Written In: English  (eng)

See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=19837

MAJOR SUPPORTERS

	Blackwell Publishing          
		http://www.blackwellpublishing.com	

	Cambridge University Press          
		http://us.cambridge.org	

	Cascadilla Press          
		http://www.cascadilla.com/	

	Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd          
		http://www.continuumbooks.com	

	Edinburgh University Press          
		http://www.eup.ed.ac.uk/	

	Equinox Publishing Ltd.          
		http://www.equinoxpub.com/	

	European Language Resources Association          
		http://www.elda.org/sommaire.php	

	Georgetown University Press          
		http://www.press.georgetown.edu	

	Hodder Arnold          
		http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk	

	John Benjamins          
		http://www.benjamins.com/	

	Lawrence Erlbaum Associates          
		http://www.erlbaum.com/	

	Lincom GmbH          
		http://www.lincom.at	

	MIT Press          
		http://mitpress.mit.edu/	

	Mouton de Gruyter          
		http://www.mouton-publishers.com	

	Multilingual Matters          
		http://www.multilingual-matters.com/	

	Oxford University Press          
		http://www.oup.com/us	

	Palgrave Macmillan          
		http://www.palgrave.com	

	Rodopi          
		http://www.rodopi.nl/	

	Routledge (Taylor and Francis)          
		http://www.routledge.com/	

	Springer          
		http://www.springer.com	

OTHER SUPPORTING PUBLISHERS	

	Anthropological Linguistics
		http://www.indiana.edu/~anthling/ 

	CSLI Publications
		http://cslipublications.stanford.edu/ 

	Graduate Linguistic Students' Assoc.   Umass
		http://glsa.hypermart.net/ 

	International Pragmatics Assoc.
		http://www.ipra.be 

	Kingston Press Ltd
		http://www.kingstonpress.com/ 

	Linguistic Assoc. of Finland
		http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/sky/ 

	MIT Working Papers in Linguistics
		http://web.mit.edu/mitwpl/ 

	Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke
		http://www.lotpublications.nl/ 

	Pacific Linguistics
		http://pacling.anu.edu.au/ 

	SIL International
		http://www.ethnologue.com/bookstore.asp 

	St. Jerome Publishing Ltd.
		http://www.stjerome.co.uk 

	Utrecht institute of Linguistics
		http://www-uilots.let.uu.nl/ 

-----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-17-1763	