The Vanishing of Nonconformist Concepts : Personal Names and Naming of Animals in Khwe
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概要
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Khwe is a Central Khoisan language spoken by former hunter-gatherers in Southern Africa. While that language is still the everyday medium of communication for most members of the community, genuine concepts underlying the language are fading out. In our investigation of this transformation, we will restrict ourselves to examining two domains, the underlying principles for naming animals and persons. No hierarchical taxonomies of any type exist in Khwe, neither in the naming of the fauna nor the flora. With the exception of a very few collective terms, only individual animal species are named. The practice of naming Khwe individuals with exclusive personal names reflects the same underlying principle, that is, any hierarchical classification is avoided. There exists no pool of Khwe names from which parents and others may choose. Each Khwe lexeme could become the personal name of an individual who would then be the owner of the name. Formal education is among the main forces in transforming traditional views of the world. Despite the omnipresent external influences and subsequent changes, the Khwe language still allows scholars to analyse some of the underlying hunter-gatherer concepts. They reveal a high appreciation of and respect for individuals and items, no matter if these are humans, animals or even inanimate objects. A substantial share of the present variation in language use among the different generations and on the individual level is due to the shift from the former hunter-gatherer concepts to those of the global culture.
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