Salutations and politeness in a Melanesian setting

Greetings from Aulua

Thinking about saying hello ...

• All speakers know how to vary their speech to mark politeness.

• Salutations – greetings +farewells – Key moments in conversation set up and ending– May be the entire message

Kinds of greetings in Aulua

• Time – referenced greetings• Small talk • Honorific/respect greetings

Surua Kabakabenewarmth talk

A: Bu lavlavsu

B: Bu lavlavsu

A: Ibu lelfael

B: Ibu

Ibu ravrav

Ibu

A: Ibu melqo

B: Ibu

Farewell

• Famous element of Aulua used by neoghbours to stereotype

• Mevko! Mo!, response must be vigorous

• Mevko + CLASS.POSSR• Mevko tahmudul! Mevko

Who do you need to be polite to?

Social structure

• Underlying ‘big man’ structure

• Overlay of a chiefly system– Clan chiefs– Kastom Chief– Community Chief– ??? Real chiefs?

Kin structure

• Parents and their siblings– Veve and Tata Veve– Veve’s children

• In-laws– Parents in-law– children’s spouses– Brothers in-law

To the higher chiefs

• Never use their name, either their chiefly name of their everyday name

• Always offer them food or drink• Never refer to food and drink directly

• Never refer to them using 2.sg verbs/pronouns• Always use the 2.dl forms

To the cross generational in-laws

• Don’t talk to them• Daughter/father in law

• Keep physically distant, the younger generation would never make themselves physically higher

Parallel and cross in-laws

• Brother’s in law have a strange strict but joking relationship. Older brothers in law can order younger one’s about

• Mother’s brother plays an important role in a boy’s life. Father and he must have respectful warm relationship

• Brothers try to avoid entering each other’s houses once they are married. Avoidance relationship between men and their sister’s in law.

Joking relationships

• Many of your kin relationships have moments of deep formality

• One area where you are a lot freer is with your father’s sisters, and their husbands

• Veve and tata veve have a teasing relationship

Small talk

• How are you is rare, but entering the language via the creole yu olrait?

• Or a calque of English how are you? Lahasabe?/Lahasabe ibu?

• To someone on the road• -VEN abe? • To someone appearing in the village• -QUL abe?