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Emotional expressions with the ear occur in probably about one quarter of Australian Indigenous languages, spread throughout the continent. We found many ear expressions in Cape York and comparatively few in Arnhem Land and Central Australia. The primary figurative association of the ear in Australian Indigenous languages is with the mind: a large number of expressions with the ear describe intellectual processes and states, such as understanding, knowing, etc. As a result, the emotions denoted by ear expressions are closely associated with the intellect.

Listen, understand, obey

Firstly, a strong association of the ears in the domain of attitudes concerns compliance. In many languages across the continent, a verb meaning ‘hear’ also tends to mean ‘understand’; and it is not uncommon for this verb to also mean ‘obey’. This link is easy to make sense of if we think of how, in English, we might complain that a disobedient child ‘doesn’t listen’. From there, ear expressions extend to attitudinal emotions related to compliance and agreeableness. This includes, for instance, being attentive, obedient and well-behaved, or, on the contrary, stubborn or reluctant to share.

Amongst Australian Indigenous groups, the above negative attitudes tend to be assimilated with a deficit in social thoughtfulness, which, in turn, is represented linguistically as defective hearing. This can be illustrated with the Kuku Yalanji (Cape York) expression milka-dudu ‘ear blunt’, meaning ‘deaf, stubborn’. The same association can be realized via a number of figurative representations. The ears can be described as blocked or even absent altogether. Expressions meaning literally ‘no ear’ are common, for instance, in Jingulu (near the Gulf of Carpentaria) we find langa-jij-a, literally ‘ear-less’ meaning ‘deaf, disagreeable’, where lacking ears stands for lacking intelligence, and in turn lacking social adequacy. Conversely, in Gamilaraay (New South Wales) gaba binaal ‘good ear’ means ‘good mannered, peaceful’, reflecting the association between good behavior, good manners, and tempered moods or peacefulness – in other words, intelligent people act appropriately.

Bad feelings and the intellect

There are other ways in which a defective intellect can map onto negative emotions. A small number of expressions with the ear denote confusion and hesitation, as in Noongar (South West) tuaanq piärq-piärqan- ‘ear sore’, meaning ‘to confuse somebody’. Another widespread association bridges the ears with obsession, which connects with intellectual functions via excessive attention. Since the ear is the seat of the intellect, overly active ears represent an overly active mind; in other words, thinking too much, which often has negative connotations to do with concern in Australian languages. This is illustrated in Warlpiri (Central Australia) with the expression langa wiil-karri-mi ‘ear stick out’, meaning ‘keep thinking, keep worrying about, be obsessed with’. Ear expressions can also denote fear, deriving from deep concern; longing, which is a form of obsession; or being homesick, which is a form of longing.  

On being oblivious

Although deficiency of the ears and intellect tends to map onto negative attitudes, the opposite also occurs. For instance, in Kuku Yalanji (Cape York) milka-wulay ‘ear die’ means ‘become unconscious’ or ‘forget’ – a negative intellectual process – as well as ‘forgive’ – a rather positive emotional process. This reflects the association of excessive attention with negative emotions like obsession, and in this case, lesser intellectual acuity can be perceived as emotionally beneficial.

References

Ash, Anna, John Giacon and Amanda Lissarrague. Gamilaraay, Yuwaalaraay, & Yuwaalayaay dictionary. Alice Springs: IAD Press, 2003.

Chadwick, Neil, David Nash and Harold Ulamari. Jingulu wordlist. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, AILEC 0249, 1975.

Hershberger, Henry D. and Ruth Hershberger. Kuku-Yalanji dictionary. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics, Australian Aborigines Branch, 1982.

Laughren, Mary and Warlpiri lexicography group. Warlpiri-English encyclopaedic dictionary. Electronic draft, October 2017, 2007.

Von Brandenstein, Carl Georg. Nyungar anew. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, 1988.