Muroora – reflections on women and taboo in Zimbabwe

Authors

  • Andrea Hollington University of Cologne

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18716/ojs/the_mouth.2851

Abstract

Language taboo in Africa with regard to in-law relationships is a classical topic in anthropological linguistics. This has often been discussed with regard to so-called avoidance languages, where women use a special linguistic register to avoid their in-laws’ names and similar sounding words. This short contribution aims to add to this thematic by reflecting on other communicative practices, in particular silence, ritual and non-verbal communication. The focus is on women in Zimbabwe, with particular regard to practices and ideologies among the maShona.

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Published

2019-05-01