Isara Choosri
Research Institute for
Languages and Cultures of Asia,
<lcisara@staff2.mahidol.ac.th>
Semantic Networks of Mlabri Food Vocabulary
Words exist as
network of sense relations. In fact, they are effectively analyzed as semantic
fields, sets of related meanings in between lexical elements and the entire
vocabulary (Lehrer & Lehrer 1995: 33-36). Analyzing Mlabri food vocabulary
in terms of semantic field and network renders the lexical structure not viable
when words are studied in isolation. In this paper, the Mlabri food terms are
divided as concerning (1) gathering (2) processing (3) consumption, and (4)
sensations.
There are words for gathering in
Mlabri, depending on the nature of foods (Sakamoto 2005). Hunting ɟak
kwel and simple collection ɟak
ʔek
are lexically distinct and imply gender roles. Digging food is cuak no matter
whether it is a tuber or a mouse. Going fishing is pasəm but catching crabs
is mua. Mushroom and vegetable collection is krep het and krep gɯnrɛʔ, a women's task. While
collecting honey ʔek
wʌk
jek is men's role.
Once
raw foods collected, there comes food processing and sharing characteristic of
the Mlabri. Verbs of eating range from ʔəʔ (rice, tuber), boŋ (fish, meat, egg), pəj (fruit, vegetable,
honey), and wʌk
'drink; smoke.’ Words like suʔeʔ
'hungry’ (< ʔeʔ
‘tuber’?) and ɟɔjh
‘delicious’ (= ‘sweet’) are assumed to be derived with the Mlabri basic food
culture.
References
Lehrer, A. & Lehrer, K. (1995) Fields, networks and vectors. In
F.R. Palmer (Ed) Grammar and meaning.
Sakamoto, H. (Ed). 2005. Mlabri text.