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The Linguistics of Olfaction: Typological and Diachronic Approaches to Synchronic Diversity
Edited by Łukasz Jędrzejowski and Przemysław Staniewski
[Typological Studies in Language 131] 2021
► pp. 137–174

Let me count the ways it stinks

A typology of olfactory terms in Purepecha (Mexico)

| Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ()

In this chapter I present a three-way typology of olfactory language in Purepecha, comprising: (i) abstract terms, composed of one of 15 perception roots and the smell-specific ‘spatial couplet’ morphology -k’u and -nti; (ii) descriptive terms whose root refers to another state or event, such as ‘to burn’, plus the spatial couplet morphology; and (iii) an odor source (usually a noun) introduced by a generic verb ‘to be, smell’ ja-. I discuss how different elicitation methods obtained varying proportions of these three types, as well as the distribution of the three generic roots referring to smelling. I then offer an historical perspective, demonstrating how the same three-way typology of smell terms has remained relatively stable over time. Implications for theories of word formation in Purepecha are also considered.

Keywords: Purepecha, olfactory language, smell canon
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background to ‘smell languages’
  • 3.Introduction to Purepecha
    • 3.1Purepecha language
    • 3.2Spatial location suffixes
  • 4.Smell terms in Purepecha
    • 4.1Abstract terms
    • 4.2 A matter of taste
    • 4.3Descriptive terms
    • 4.4Source-based terms
    • 4.5Generic verbs meaning ‘to smell’
  • 5.Historical perspective
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgments
  • Abbreviations
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 26 April 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.131.05bel
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