Where 'Out to Sea' Equals 'Towards the Fire

The Macrocosm-Microcosm Relationship in Languages of the North Pacific Rim

Bibliographic Data

ID3777798
AuthorsMichael Fortescue (0000-0003-1149-8599, University of Copenhagen, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume53
Issue1
Pages1-14
Publication date2011-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAnthropological linguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-5483 • E-ISSN: 1944-6527
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/anl.2011.0003
OpenAlexW2002747342
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited10

An unusual conflation in the meaning of directional terms whereby 'out to sea (or the open water)' is equated with 'towards the fireplace' (and the converse, 'to shore' with 'away from the fireplace') has been observed in a number of languages of the Northwest Coast of America and of the Russian Far East. The origin and motivation for this correlation has remained a mystery, being much more specific than the overlap between terms referring to the macrocosm (the geographical surroundings) and to the microcosm (the house) that is typical of Arctic and Subarctic languages. This article presents an explanation for the phenomenon, which appears-surprisingly-to have its roots deep within Siberia

Archaeology · Arctic · Conflation · Converse · Epistemology · Linguistics · Meaning (existential) · Microcosm · Shore · Subarctic climate · Categorization, perception, and language · Geology · History · Lexicography and Language Studies · Linguistics and language evolution · Oceanography · Paleontology · Philosophy