A Preliminary Study on the Use of Epithets in Kenyah Long Wat

Abstract

Social status has long been a point of reference in addressing the individual. As observed in the Kenyah Long Wat community, members of a family are given epithets upon life events such as birth and death to signify their new status. Although the creation and use of epithets in indexing life events may be customary in many communities, the types and variety of linguistic forms used in different speech communities may well provide a lens through which the social practices of an indigenous community can be appreciated. This article describes the epithets found in the Kenyah Long Wat language, which will ground further sociolinguistic study of the language. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with speakers of the language to obtain information on epithets and the socio-cultural events, beliefs and linguistic resources that surround the creation and conferment of epithets.