To Speak in Pairs: Essays on the Ritual Languages of eastern Indonesia

by James J. Fox

Overview

These original essays study ritual language and parallelism (the strict ordering of words and phrases in alternative, duplicate form). The introduction puts the topic in historical perspective and what was once viewed as a composition form unique to ancient Hebrew is now seen as a feature common to literatures around the world. Here is the first book to compare in detail living traditions of parallel composition. Yet, despite the diversity of languages discussed by the contributors, their materials are drawn from a single cultural area still unknown to most specialists: Eastern Indonesia. All the essays contain original texts with translations and with detailed commentary on both content and context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521028004
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/02/2006
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Oral and Literate Culture , #15
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.87(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

Illustrations; The contributors; Acknowledgements; Introduction James J. Fox; 1. Etiquette in Kodi spirit communication: the lips told to pronounce, the mouths told to speak Janet Alison Hoskins; 2. Method in the metaphor: the ritual language of Wanukaka David Mitchell; 3. Li'i marapu: speech and ritual among the Wewewa of west Sumba Brigitte Renard-Clamagirand; 4. The pattern of prayer in Weyéwa Joel C. Kuipers; 5. Fashioned speech, full communication: aspects of eastern Sumbanese ritual language Gregory Forth; 6. Manu Kama's road, Tepa Nilu's path: theme, narrative, and formula in Rotinese ritual language James J. Fox; 7. The case of the purloined statues: the power of words among the Lionese Eriko Aoki; 8. The journey of the bridegroom: idioms of marriage among the Endenese Satoshi Nakagawa; 9. A quest for the source: the ontogenesis of a creation myth of the Ata Tana Ai E. D. Lewis; 10. The tree of desire: a Toraja ritual poem Charles Zerner and Toby Alice Volkman; Notes; References; Index.