The Language of Emotions

“In The Language of Emotions: The Case of Dalabon (Australia), Ponsonnet presents an impressively broad and competent study of the language and culture of the Dalabon people of southwestern Arnhem Land, the Northern Territory, Australia, ultimately focusing on their ways of talking about and expressing emotions. A reader with even a smidgeon of interest in the cultural and linguistic changes undergone by Australian Aboriginal peoples will find the book a great read, as did this reviewer. Ponsonnet provides insights on traditional culture, early contacts and recent relations with European colonists, the status of contemporary Dalabon language and culture, the dominance of Kriol, and the persistence of traditional kinship practices and interests. Her discussions of linguistic theory pertaining to emotion are thought-provoking on two issues: the difficulty of applying a scientific definition of emotion to Dalabon language practices (they are emotionally reticent) and the question of whether emotion language is best treated as expressive of internal states or as pragmatic action. The linguistic analysis is appropriate and meticulous, covering syntax, semantics, figurative language, and expressive qualities such as prosody and emotional behavior. For the comparativists, there are interlinear translations, tables, and a lexicon.”