[RNLD List] Use of a 'heavy'/'light' distinction when characterising languages

[Christine Corcoran]

It’s not quite the same as heavy and light, but David Sapir has some work on the big and thin distinction in Jóola-Kujamaat (Diola-Fogny) spoken in Senegal. These terms refer to relative usage of the tense/lax vowel vowel harmony system. They're used to distinguish individuals and subgroups who harmonize more than others. “Big” speakers harmonize more than “thin” speakers.  

Citation I have handy: 
Sapir, J. David. 1975. Big and thin; two Diola-Fogny meta linguistic terms. Lang. Soc. 4: 1–15. 


Chris Corcoran
pronouns: she/her/hers
christine.corcoran at icloud.com
Chicago, IL 





> On May 19, 2021, at 6:09 AM, Peter Austin <pa2 at soas.ac.uk> wrote:
> 
> David Nash gave a talk about this terminology at an ALS in Brisbane many years ago. Not sure if it was ever published.
> 
> Best
> Peter
> 
> 
> On Wed, 19 May 2021, 11:19 Alan Rumsey, <Alan.Rumsey at anu.edu.au <mailto:Alan.Rumsey at anu.edu.au>> wrote:
> I have been in conversation with Charles Zuckerman about his work in upland central Laos on the use of a 'heavy'/'light' distinction by speakers of the local languages to characterise them in relation to one another. In my fieldwork in the Kimberley region of WA I have also often heard speakers of Indigenous languages make use of a 'heavy'/'light' distinction when characterising languages/dialects. I am wondering how widespread that is across Australia and beyond. Has anyone else of you has come across it? If so, where?  Can any of you refer us to any other published discussions on this topic besides the one below? If so could you please send them in a reply to me and the cc’d addresses above?
> 
>  
> 
> Zuckerman, Charles H. P., and N. J. Enfield 2020.  Heavy Sound Light Sound: A Nam Noi Metalinguistic Trope. In Studies in the Anthropology of Language in Mainland Southeast Asia Pp. 85–92. JSEALS Special Publication, 6. University of Hawai’i Press.
> 
>  
> 
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