2019 Gaby Bradley Wulaya head.pdf

This paper considers the range of metaphorical and metonymic extensions of the Yanyuwa word wulaya ‘head’. Following an introduction to the language and its speakers, section ‎2 begins by exploring the core meaning of wulaya (the body part of humans and animals) and the grammatical inflections it requires. Section ‎3 considers the various extended uses of wulaya ‘head’ motivated by metonymy. Section ‎3.1 considers its use in descriptions of mental processes and sensations as well as character traits, while ‎3.2 discusses the lexeme wularrinja ‘headrest’. Section ‎4 then considers the metaphorical basis for other extended uses. In §‎4.1 we see wulaya used with reference to round objects, while §‎4.2 discusses its use with reference to the ‘top end’ of objects. Section ‎5 considers the etymological origin of some names for people and places, in which wulaya serves as a linkage between the places and people of today and Ancestral Dreaming figures.