Referential and Indexical Meanings of amma in Kannada: Mother, Woman, Goddess, Pox, and Help!

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Abstract
Ethnographic semanticists have concentrated on the analysis of literal referential meaning. This paper attempts to build on this foundation by adding to it an analysis of figurative (metaphoric and metonymic) and nonreferential (indexical) meanings. The specific goal is to show that the several senses of the Kannada term amma are systematically related as a primary or literal sense ('mother'), metaphoric senses ('woman politely,' 'goddess'), a metonymic sense ('pox'), and a nonreferential expressive sense (a cry of distress or surprise). The more general goal is to show that such an analysis is both of ethnographic relevance as it relates to the place of females in the sociocultural system of Kannada speakers, and of linguistic relevance as an attempt to contribute to the analysis of systems of linguistic meaning.

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