Language Culture and Mind

Based On Fieldwork Carried Out In A Mayan Village In Guatemala This Book Examines Local Understandings Of Mind Through The Lens Of Language And Culture. It Focuses On A Variety Of Grammatical Structures And Discursive Practices Through Which Mental States Are Encoded And Social Relations Are Expressed: Inalienable Possessions Such As Body Parts And Kinship Terms; Interjections Such As ''Ouch'' And ''Yuck''; Complement-Taking Predicates Such As ''Believe'' And ''Desire''; And Grammatical Categories Such As Mood Status And Evidentiality. And More Generally It Develops A Theoretical Framework Through Which Both Community-Specific And Human-General Features Of Mind May Be Contrasted And Compared. It Will Be Of Interest To Researchers And Students Working Within The Disciplines Of Anthropology Linguistics Psychology And Philosophy.