Chapter 13. “Show your feelings!”

Abstract

This contribution analyzes the encoding of emotions in Chiraphai (Rabai), a Midzichenda language from the Kenyan coast. In the focus, especially, are matters of a rather discrete display of one’s feelings vs. open invitations to “show what you feel”, discussing core emotions in the language and also including concepts of feeling shame (kona haya) or witnessing shameful behavior. Herein, the authors specifically investigate body part metaphors that play a role in the expression of emotional language; they include an analysis of color terms that incorporate a specific emotional connotation. Finally, grammatical means of encoding emotions are taken into consideration in this first anthropological linguistic analysis of the language.