Status of the Current Scientific Knowledge on Pirahã

What is Known and What Could be Studied in Future?

Bd.14,Nr.2(2023)
Anthropologia integra

Abstract
This paper is focused on the status of the current scientific knowledge on Pirahã, an isolated Brazilian ethnic group. The aim of this article is to raise suggestions for future research that may help to extend the knowledge on Pirahã, as well as to point out ethical issues involved. For this reason, a systematic literature review of journal articles published between 2018 and 2023 and indexed in Web of Science was performed. This way, 26 relevant articles were found. Furthermore, the content analysis of 17 scientific papers selected according to the exclusion criteria was done in Atlas.ti. Created categories (4 in total), linked to quotations of articles interpreted in this article, comprise generally the Pirahã language and society. Particularly, they are related to the numeral cognition and recursion. These categories refer to the most discussed topics in the current scientific articles on Pirahã and represent research topics for future studies.

Schlagworte:
Pirahã; Brazil; Amazon; language; society; numerical cognition; recursion
Autor/innen-Biografie

Miroslav Horák

Ústav jazykových a kulturních studiíFakulta regionálního rozvoje a mezinárodních studiíMendelova univerzita v Brně

vedoucí ústavu

Literaturhinweise

Abner, N. – Namboodiripad, S. – Spaepen, E. – Goldin-Meadow, S. (2022): Emergent Morphology in Child Homesign: Evidence from Number Language. Language Learning and Development: The Official Journal of the Society for Language Development, 18(1), 16–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/15475441.2021.1922281

Amaral, L. – Maia, M. – Nevins, A. – Roeper, T. (Eds.). (2018): Recursion Across Domains. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Bower, B. (2005): The Piraha Challenge an Amazonian Tribe Takes Grammar to a Strange Place. Science News, 168(24), 376–377.

Colapinto, J. (2007): The Interpreter. The New Yorker, 16, 125. Retrieved on 15 April, 2023, from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/16/the-interpreter-2

Corbin J. M. – Strauss A. L. (2015): Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.

Chomsky, N. (1980): Rules and Representations. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00001515

CTI. (2001): Terra indígena Pirahã. Retrieved on April 15, 2023, from https://bit.ly/cti-2021

de Almeida, M. W. B. (2019): Is There Mathematics in the Forest? HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, 9(1), 86–98. https://doi.org/10.1086/703798

Currie, A. (2016): Ethnographic Analogy, the Comparative Method, and Archeological Special Pleading. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A. 55, 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2015.08.010

Dékány, É. (2019): Foundations of Generative Linguistics. Acta Linguistica Academica, 66(3), 309–334. https://doi.org/10.1556/2062.2019.66.3.1

dos Santos, C. F. (2021): Enculturation and the Historical Origins of Number Words and Concepts. Synthese, 199(3–4), 9257–9287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-021-03202-8

Dixon, R. M. W. – Aikhenvald, A. Y. (1999): Other Small Families and Isolates. In R. Dixon – M. Ward – A. Y. Aikhenvald (Eds.), The Amazonian Languages (pp. 268–270). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Everett, D. L. (2005): Cultural Constraints on Grammar and Cognition in Pirahã: Another Look at the Design Features of Human Language. Current Anthropology, 46(4), 621–646.

Everett, D. L. (2008): Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle. New York: Pantheon Books.

Everett, D. L. (2009): Pirahã Culture and Grammar: A Response to Some Criticisms. Language, 85(2), 405–442. https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.0.0104

Everett, D. L. (2012): What Does Pirahã Grammar Have to Teach Us About Human Language and the Mind? Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 3(6), 555–563. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.1195

Everett, D. L., – Gibson, E. (2019): Recursion Across Domains. Language, 95(4), 777–790. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/743106

Ferrante, L. – Gomes, M. – Fearnside, P. M. (2020): Amazonian Indigenous Peoples Are Threatened by Brazil’s Highway BR-319. Land Use Policy, 94, 104548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104548

Fellows, M. et al. (2023): A. Nota Técnica. n. 10. Jan. 2023. Retrieved on 15 April, 2023, from https://ipam.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Nota-T%C3%A9cnica_jan2023.pdf.

Frank, M C. – Everett, D.L. – Fedorenko, E. – Gibson, E. (2008): Number as a Cognitive Technology: Evidence from Pirahã Language and Cognition. Cognition, 108(3), 819–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2008.04.007

Futrell, R. – Stearns, L. – Everett, D. L. – Piantadosi, S. T. – Gibson, E. (2016): A Corpus Investigation of Syntactic Embedding in Pirahã. PLoS ONE, 11(3), e0145289. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0145289

FUNAI (2021, February 12): Povos Isolados. Official page of FUNAI - Brazil. Retrieved on 15 April, 2023, from https://www.gov.br/funai/pt-br/atuacao/povos-indigenas/povos-indigenas-isolados-e-de-recente-contato-2/povos-isolados-1#:~:text=Atualmente%2C%20no%20Brasil%20 temos%20 cerca,em%20curso%20 realizados%20para%20 Funai

FUNAI (2022, October 10): Censo 2022: parcial da pesquisa aponta mais de 860 mil indígenas recenseados. Retrieved on April 15, 2023, from https://bit.ly/funai-2022

Hayter, H. M. (1994): Hunter-Gatherers and the Use of Ethnographic Analogy: Theoretical Perspectives. Totem, 1(1), 39–49.

Google Ngram (2023, February 7): Piraha. Retrieved on April 15, 2023, from https://bit.ly/ngram-piraha

Gonçalves, M. (2001): Ação e Criação Em Uma Cosmologia Amazônica. Rio de Janeiro: Editora Da UFRJ.

Gordon, P. (2004): Numerical Cognition Without Words: Evidence from Amazonia. Science, 306(5695), 496–499. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1094492.

Hall, S. (2018): The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power [1992]. In D. Morley (Ed.), Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity and Diaspora (pp. 141–184). Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478002710-010

Hashimoto, T. (2020): The Emergent Constructive Approach to Evolinguistics: Considering Hierarchy and Intention Sharing in Linguistic Communication. Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering, 29(6), 675–696. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11518-020-5469-x

Huybregts, M. A. C. (2019): Infinite Generation of Language Unreachable From a Stepwise Approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(425), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00425

IACHR (2013): Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact in the Americas: Recommendations for the Full Respect of their Human Rights, Retrieved on 15 April, 2023, from OEA/Ser.L/V/II. Doc. 47/13, 2013.

IBGE (2021): Legal Amazon. Retrieved on April 15, 2023, from https://geoftp.ibge.gov.br/organizacao_do_territorio/estrutura_territorial/amazonia_legal/2021/Mapa_da_Amazonia_Legal_2021.pdf

ISA (2023, February 17): Terra Indígena Pirahã. Retrieved on April 15, 2023, from https://terrasindigenas.org.br/pt-br/terras-indigenas/3823

IPEA (2008, June 8): O que é? Amazônia Legal. Retrieved on April 15, 2023, from https://www.ipea.gov.br/desafios/index.php?option=com_content&id=2154:catid=28

Izard, V. – Sann, C. – Spelke, S. E. – Streri. A. (2009): Newborn Infants Perceive Abstract Numbers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(25), 10382–85. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0812142106

Johnson-Laird, P. N. – Bucciarelli, M. – Mackiewicz, R. – Khemlani, S. S. (2022): Recursion in Programs, Thought, and Language. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 29(2), 430–454. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-021-01977-y

Kay, P. – Berlin, B. – Merrifield, W. (1991): Biocultural Implications of Systems of Color Naming. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 1(1), 12–25.

Kelly, R. L. (2013): The Lifeways of Hunter-Gatheres: The Foraging Spectrum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139176132

Knight, Ch. (2004): Decoding Chomsky. European Review, 12(4), 581–603.

Knight, Ch. (2016a): Decoding Chomsky: Science and Revolutionary Politics. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Knight, Ch. (2016b): Puzzles and Mysteries in the Origins of Language. Language & Communication, 50, 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2016.09.002

Knight, C. – Power, C. (2011): Social Conditions for the Evolutionary Emergence of Language. In M. Tallerman – K. Gibson (Eds.), Handbook of Language Evolution (pp. 346–349). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Kocab, A. – Senghas, A. – Coppola, M. – Snedeker, J. (2023): Potentially Recursive Structures Emerge Quickly When a New Language Community Forms. Cognition, 232(105261), 105261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105261

Leivada, E. – D’Alessandro, R. – Grohmann, K. K. (2019): Eliciting Big Data From Small, Young, or Non-standard Languages: 10 Experimental Challenges. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 313. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00313

Mendívil-Giró, J.-L. (2018): Why Don’t Languages Adapt to Their Environment? Frontiers in Communication, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2018.00024

Murillo-Corchado, V. – Nepomuceno-Fernández, Á. (2019): Giro dinámico y lógica de la investigación científica. Revista de Humanidades de Valparaíso, 7(13), 68–89. https://doi.org/10.22370/rhv2019iss13pp68-89

Nevins, A. – Pesetsky, D. – Rodrigues, C. (2009): Pirahã Exceptionality: A Reassessment. Language, 85(2), 355–404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lan.0.0107

Octavio, C. R. – Azanha, G. (2009): Isolados – algumas questões para reflexão. Textos online CT, 162(186), 1–7. https://bit.ly/octavio-azanha-2009

Oesterdiekhoff, G. W. (2018): Evolution of Mind and Language. Anthropos, 113(1), 195–216. https://doi.org/10.5771/0257-9774-2018-1-195

O’Neill, M. – Wood, R. (2012): The Grammar of Happiness [Film]. Green Planet Films. https://greenplanetfilms.org/products/the-grammar-of-happiness

OPI (2023, February 17): Reestruturação e Consolidação da Política Indigenista para Povos Indígenas Isolados e de Recente Contato: Propostas e diretrizes para a garantia e efetivação de seus direitos. Retrieved on 15 April, 2023, from https://acervo.socioambiental.org/acervo/documentos/reestruturacao-e-consolidacao-da-politica-indigenista-para-povos-indigenas

Ostler, N. (2005): Empires of the World: A Language History of the World. New York: HarperCollins.

Overmann, K. A. (2021): Numerical Origins: The Critical Questions. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 21(5), 449–468. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685373-12340121

Pati, D. – Lorusso, L.N. (2018): How to Write a Systematic Review of the Literature. HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 11(1), 15–30.

Reboul, A. (2012): Language: Between Cognition, Communication and Culture. Pragmatics & Cognition, 20(2), 295–316. https://doi.org/10.1075/pc.20.2.06reb

Reboul, A. (2017): A Pragmatic and Philosophical Examination of Everett’s Claims About Pirahã. In J. Blochowiak – C. Grisot – S. Durrleman – C. Leanzlinger (Eds.). Formal Models in the Study of Language Applications in Interdisciplinary Contexts (pp. 84–96). Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48832-5_6

Rodrigues, C. (2017): Absence of Evidence is not Evidence of Absence: The Pirahã Case. Diadorim, Rio de Janeiro, Revista 19 —Volume Especial 2017, 305–324. https://doi.org/10.35520/diadorim.2017.v19n0a13608

Rothstein, S. – Lima, S. (2020): Quantity Evaluations in Yudja: Judgements, Language and Cultural Practice. Synthese, 197(9), 3851–3873. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-018-02016-5

Sadlier-Brown, E. – Salles, R. – Salomon, I. (2022): Exploring Variation and Change in a Small-Scale Indigenous Society: The Case of (s) In Pirahã. Linguistics Vanguard, 8(s5), 733–743. https://doi.org/10.1515/lingvan-2021-0109

Sakel, J. – Stapert, E. (2010): Pirahã–in Need of Recursive Syntax? Recursion and Human Language, 3–16.

Sakel, J. (2012): Transfer and Language Contact: The Case of Pirahã. International Journal of Bilingualism, 16(1), 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367006911403212

Sergeyev, Y. D. (2022): Some Paradoxes of Infinity Revisited. Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics, 19(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00009-022-02063-w

Soukup, V. (2015): Jazyk, myšlení a kultura. Anthropologia Integra, 6(2), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.5817/AI2015-2-15

Unckel Nimuendajú, C. (1994): Pirahá. In Mapa Etno-histórico do Brasil e regiões adjacentes. http://mapa-nimuendaju.eita.coop.br/

Vrhel, F. (2009): Případ Pirahã [The Pirahã Case]. Český Lid, 96(2), 147–163. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42640235

Williamson, K. (2018): Ethnographic research. In K. Williamson – G. Johanson (Eds.), Research Methods: Information, Systems, and Contexts (pp. 311–335). Cambridge: Elsevier.

Wu, T. (2020): A Refutation of “A Refutation of Universal Grammar” (Lin, f. 2017. Lingua 193. 1–22.). Poznan Studies in Contemporary Linguistics, 56(1), 169–205. https://doi.org/10.1515/psicl-2020-0005

Xiao, Y. – Watson, M. (2019): Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 39(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X17723971

Metriky

0

Crossref logo

0


238

Views

74

PDF (English) views