[PapuanLanguages] extensions of 'tree base'

[Christian Döhler]

Dear Papuanists,

I am working on two languages in Southern New Guinea: Bine (Eastern 
Trans-Fly) and Komnzo (Yam). I have two related questions that have to 
do with the word /zfth /in Komnzo and /iŋre /in Bine. Both of these mean 
'base of a tree'.

 1. I noticed that in Bine and Komnzo rivers are sometimes
    conceptualised by invoking a tree metaphor. In Komnzo, you can refer
    to a rivermouth as /ŋars zfth /which means literally 'river (tree)
    base', while you can refer to the creeks and tributaries that feed
    into the river as /ŋars tuti /'river branches' or 'river twigs'.
    Hence, a river is conceptualised as if it grows from the coast
    towards the interior, as one can see it nicely on maps. This reminds
    me of Nicholas Burenhult's work on Jahai landscape terminology,
    where rivers are mapped onto the human body. I am trying to find out
    how widespread the tree pattern is in New Guinea or elsewhere.
 2. The word /zfth /'tree base' or 'plant base', i.e. that part of a
    plant directly above the ground, can be used for a range of other
    meanings in the languages of Southern New Guinea. In some languages
    of the region, it can mean 'reason'. This is similar to the use of
    'root' in English in 'the root of all evil' (which works for my
    native German too). In other languages, the word can mean 'origin',
    'clan', or 'family'. I am interested where else in New Guinea this
    pattern of colexification is found.

Any comments on different patterns in the languages you know about, or 
references to relevant publications are most welcome.

Very Best

Christian

-- 
Dr. Christian Döhler
Institut für Linguistik
Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
Universität zu Köln
D-50923 Köln