Informal Back-Talk Teasing, Grumbling, and Gossip

Language and Communication ANTH 2301 Informal Back-Talk: Teasing, Grumbling, and Gossip The most common method used by linguistic anthropologists is extensive fieldwork, when they reside with the tribes they study, observe, and even take part in ritualistic activities where performative language is used. In addition to naming ceremonies, puberty rites, marriages, funerals, and other rituals that signify a person's transition from one social position to another, these events also involve protection and healing magic. These customs are known as "rites of passage" by anthropologists. Elders or other religious experts are called upon to execute the ceremonial words required to formally transfer people from the old category to the new one during such ritual gatherings. One excellent illustration of the influence of performative language in rites of passage is seen in naming rituals. A newborn is not regarded as a real person in many West African civilizations unless they have been given a public name in a naming ceremony conducted a certain number of days after the infant is born by an elder or religious authority. Friends and extended relatives attend the ceremony as a symbol of their friendship with the infant. In exchange for their participation, guests are given prepared food and kola nuts, and they also bring presents for the newborn, such as rice and linen. Linguistic researcher Nicholas Sweet observed a baby's naming ritual in a Pularspeaking hamlet while conducting fieldwork in southeast Senegal (2019). As the family assembled in the baby's father's compound, the imam stood up, turned to face the east, bestowed the prophet's blessings, and then gave the newborn girl her name, which is written in Arabic below and translated into English below: In the name of the Almighty, the Almighty, the Almighty, grant our master Muhammad prosperity and well-being. Blessings upon our master Muhammad, O Allah The infant has arrived, and her parents have given her the name Aissatou. The infant has arrived, and her parents have given her the name Aissatou. This is what was inscribed on Allah's tablet. May blessings come to her from God. Sweet was perceptive to the less formal types of language that surrounding the primary action, even as she meticulously captured the formal performative language that was crucial to this naming ceremony. For example, a few family friends were gathered around the newborn, complimenting her beauty, right before the imam's performance. Several of the guys mocked and laughed at each other, expressing their affection for her and the possibility of marrying her in the future. Other family members made requests for kola nuts and other food, taunting the baby's parents. This informal language served as a means for guests to socially configure their varied affiliations to the new member of their society, making it just as powerfully performative as the official naming. The baby's great-aunt, Aissatou, had been kept out of the ceremony, which was significant. Auntie Aissatou was the baby's namesake, thus she was invited to the wedding and ought to have been a star attraction. However, she had not yet arrived when it was time to carry out the ceremony, so they proceeded without her. Later, when guests were returning home, they happened to run upon Auntie Aissatou, who had just arrived at the gathering. She stated that she had been waiting for someone to come get her and take her to the ceremony after realising that the naming had already taken place. Auntie Aissatou was upset that she had not been present for the wedding or the post-ceremony gift- giving. After imitating an imam by draping a scarf around her head, Auntie Aissatou proceeded towards the baby's father's compound. Entering the complex with a ceremonial gait, she spoke to the many elders who were still present. She gave the prophet's blessings while facing east in a parody of the formal naming ceremony, and then she declared, "The name of the child has come here." It's Trash Owl, Buubu Nooge. Relatives in the crowd burst out laughing and objected, calling Auntie Aissatou out and giving her the baby's actual given name. However, Auntie Aissatou persisted, stating again that "Trash Owl" was the baby's name. Trash Owl: Why? It is the belief of this village that witches, as they soar through the night, transform into owls. "Trash" seems to allude to the absurd presents of trash (split flipflops, an old sock) in a little gourd that Auntie Aissatou gave in place of the customary gifts of food, clothing and soap for newborns. The baby's playful moniker gained popularity in the community in the days that followed the naming ceremony, especially among those who believed they should have been invited but were not. The infant's family was forced to make several visits across the town with pacifying presents of kola in an attempt to encourage everyone to recognise the baby by his real name, in an attempt to stop the mocking moniker. After the infant was named Trash Owl, Auntie Aissatou and the others recognised her as Aissatou, Auntie Aissatou's namesake, and gave up calling her Trash Owl. This instance demonstrates how gossip and parody may take performative power away from the formal, authoritative world of speech, allowing marginalised and excluded individuals to "talk back" to those in positions of authority. To achieve this, there are several methods. Attendees at formal speeches sometimes purposefully misinterpret or imaginatively interpret the statements made by authorities.