Transcript Folie 1 - LinguisticsOfTemperature

Temperature Terms
across 14 African Languages
Henrike Firsching
University of Bayreuth
1. Methodology
Language sample

Interviews with speakers of 14 African languages:
 Niger-Congo:
Igbo, Yoruba (Benue-Congo)
Swahili, Luyia, Fe’fe’, Ngwo (Bantu)
Moba (Gur)
Ewe, Baoulé (Kwa)
Bambara (Mande)
 Afroasiatic:
Hausa, Kilba (Chadic)
 Nilosaharan:
Kalenjin, Luo (Nilotic)
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
1. Methodology
Questionnaire
1.
2.
Temperature terms
Table with entities from different domains of use:
Food/liquids (e.g. porridge immediately after
preparation, drinking water)
Body-parts (e.g. head when feverish)
Environment (e.g. room with air conditioning)
Surfaces (e.g. cloth when ironing it)
Household (e.g. refrigerator, fire)
Weather/climate (e.g. snow, sun)
3.
4.
Experiencer-based/personal-feeling temperature
Metaphorical use of temperature terms
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
2. Questions


How many different temperature terms do the languages
have?
How are the terms organized on the temperature scale?
1
2
3
4
5


very low temperature
low temperature
medium temperature
high temperature
very high temperature
cold
cool
lukewarm
warm
hot
In which domains of use can the terms be used?
Are the systems of temperature terms in different
languages structured in a similar way?
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
3. The number of temperature terms
Number of
temperature terms
Languages
2
Igbo, Kilba
3
Hausa, Yoruba
4
Luo, Luyia, Moba, Swahili
5
Bambara, Kalenjin
6
Ewe, Fe’fe’
7
Baoulé, Ngwo
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
3. The number of basic temperature terms

Criteria:
salient, generally known, native/nativized,
morphologically simple, primarily used for this domain,
not-too-restricted in application, not subsumed under
other terms
(Plank 2003:1; Koptjevskaja-Tamm 2007:6)
Number of basic
temperature terms
Languages
2
Ewe, Fe’fe’, Igbo, Kilba, Luyia,
Moba
3
Bambara, Baoulé, Hausa,
Kalenjin, Luo, Ngwo, Swahili,
Yoruba
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
4. The temperature scale
Group I
IGBO
1
2
KILBA
BAMBARA
shishi‘u
suma /
oyi
nene
3
kwakwau
4
oku
kalan /
goni / funteni
5
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
4. The temperature scale
Group II a
EWE
BAOULE
MOBA
SWAHILI
1
fa /
ar /
song /
baridi
2
aviv
tsh /
fll
wad
3
gbl / y
palopalo
balg
fufutende
4
zozo /
lo / njr /
ton
joto /
5
fionfion
awunjee
moto
LUO
LUYIA
YORUBA
HAUSA
1
ngich /
ovunyivu
tutu
sanyii
2
koyo
/ imboo
3
mor-mor
sivilile
lowooro
umii
mor-mor / liet
sino oluya
gbona
zaafii
Group II b
4
5
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
4. The temperature scale
Group III
1
KALENJIN
NGWO
FE’FE’
kaitit
yii / dju / efo
fo /
dju / efo
nii
zebe
nii
2
3
lebleb
ndop
4
burgei / lalang
nom
ndop / ntshe
5
lale
twon / feh
tu / mbesi
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
5. Domains of use
Category I: Igbo, Kilba, Yoruba
IGBO
KILBA
YORUBA
experiencer, food, liquids, body-parts, environment,
weather, wind, surfaces, ice/snow, fire/sun
1
2
shishi’u
tutu
oyi
3
lowooro
4
oku
kwakwau
5
gbona
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
5. Domains of use
Category II: Luyia, Bambara, Kalenjin, Hausa
LUYIA
experiencer
1
BAMBARA
food, liquids,
body-parts,
environment,
wind, ice/
snow, fire,
surfaces
imboo
ovunyivu
sivilile
sivilile
experiencer
food, liquids,
body-parts,
environment,
wind, ice/
snow, fire,
surfaces
nn
suma
funteni
kalan /
2
3
4
5
sino oluya
sino oluya
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
goni
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
5. Domains of use
Category III: Moba, Swahili, Luo
MOBA
1
experiencer
liquids,
bodyparts,
surfaces
wad
sng
food, sun/fire, experiencer,
environment, environment,
weather/wind, weather, sun
ice/snow
3
food, bodyparts, wind,
fire
baridi
baridi
balg
ton
ton
liquids,
surfaces
baridi
sng
2
4
SWAHILI
fufutende
ton
joto
moto
moto
5
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
5. Domains of use
Category IV: Baoulé
BAOULÉ
experiencer
environment,
sun,
weather/wind
body-parts
tsh /
1
2
ar
fll
tsh
3
4
food, liquids,
surfaces, ice/
snow, fire
fll
palopalo
awunjee
lo
lo
lo / njr
5
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
5. Domains of use
Category V: Ewe, Ngwo
NGWO
experiencer
1
efo
food,
liquids,
body-parts ice/snow
dju
yii
2
dju
3
zebe
nom
dju
nom
nom
twon
twon
surfaces,
fire
dju
nom
4
5
weather, sun,
environment
twon
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
twon
twon / feh
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
5. Domains of use
Category VI: Fe’fe’
FE’FE’
experiencer
food
liquids
nii
nii
weather,
environment
fire, ice/
snow,
surfaces
sun
1
2
fo
nii / fo
nii
3
ndop
4
ndop
5
tu
ndop
ndop
ndop
mbesi
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
ndop
ndop / ntshe
mbesi / tu
mbesi
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
6. Conclusions
6.1 Does the number of temperature terms in a
language allow conclusions about the position of the
terms on the temperature scale?
Languages with two basic temperature terms:
low – high
(Ewe, Fe’fe’, Igbo, Kilba, Luyia,
Moba)
Languages with three basic temperature terms:
a)
low – high – very high
(Hausa, Luo, Ngwo, Yoruba)
b)
low – low – high
(Baoulé)
c)
low – high – high
(Bambara, Kalenjin, Swahili)
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
6. Conclusions
6.2 Terms for very low and very high temperature

If terms for extreme temperature are used in a language,
they are likely to describe extremely high and not
extremely low temperature.
Very low temperature: yii (Ngwo)
Very high temperature: liet (Luo)
sino oluyia (Luyia)
gbona (Yoruba)
zaafii (Hausa)
lale (Kalenjin)
twon/feh (Ngwo)
tu/mbesi (Fe’fe’)
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm
6. Conclusions
6.3 Restrictions to domains of use

Liquids:


If a term for medium temperature is used in a language,
it is used for liquids
Experiencer-based:


8 of 14 languages have a separate set of terms for
experiencer-based temperature
In 6 languages one of the temperature terms is used
exclusively for experiencer-based temperature
H. Firsching
Temperature Terms across 14 African Languages
March 19th 2010
Stockholm