[Updated 15 Feb, 2013]
On the AustKin 2 project we’ve been taking an interest in generic Aboriginal words for ‘skin’ in the sense of ‘section’ or ‘subsection’. As readers have pointed out, the notion of a ‘skin name’ is by no means universal across Aborginal Australia. But what we’d really like to know are generic terms for ‘skin’ in any Australian languages that include this concept. We’re also keen to know if these terms are polysemous. For example, in some languages, the generic word for ‘skin’ (‘section’) has the additional meaning of ‘body’ or ‘smell’. In Mawng, the word ngiri means both ‘subsection’ and ‘shell; bark’. In Tiwi, the word pukwi means both ‘matriclan; totem’ and ‘sun’. These meanings draw attention to the consistent metaphors used to invoke kinship relationships and may also shed light on the origin of the word ‘skin’ in Aboriginal English.
In addition, we would love to know if there is any Australian language wherein the word for ‘skin’ (section/subsection) is also the word for a literal ‘skin’ (the dermis). Tom Honeyman has pointed out that the Tok Pisin word skin means ‘body’. Given the that NSW pidgin is known to have been a core lexifier of Melanesian pidgins, this is an intriguing lead.
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