Expressives as moral propositions in Mundari

Abstract

This paper discusses expressives in the Mundari language spoken in Jharkhand as moral propositions. Expressives have traditionally been peripheral to the study of language, but recently this class of words has started to receive more attention. Moving from a narrow conception of onomatopoeia, linguists have begun to discuss the idea of depictive language, in which sensory perception is communicated in vivid terms. The data in this paper are presented as an ethno-linguistic exploration of how expressives can have moral or ethical connotations, in addition to, or in some cases instead of, depiction of sensory perception. We argue that as moral propositions, Mundari expressives are part of the linguistic practices that create and recreate idealized types of social behavior, personal relations and cultural institutions.