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Fear and surprise are often regarded as ‘basic’ emotions, under the assumption that they belong to the core repertoire of universal feelings that most humans get to experience irrespective of their cultural background. The body parts predominantly associated with fear in most Australian Indigenous languages are, on the one hand, the heart, along with the abdomen; and on the other hand, the eyes, which also map onto surprise. There are also some associations with the back and with hair.

Fear, heartbeat, and other abdominal parts

The heart is used in expressions that denote deeper fears, such as being terrified or anxious. There are some references to sudden, violent shocks, as in Wik Mungkan (Cape York) ngangk ikan ‘split/torn heart or abdomen’, ‘get a fright, be aghast, horrified, troubled (e.g. because of bad news)’. Fear expressions also appear frequently with terms that denote the abdomen or torso generally. They are much more marginal with the belly, liver and chest.

 The stronger role of the heart with respect to fear could reflect the body’s typical response to apprehension: a faster heartbeat. This is illustrated in Dalabon (Arnhem Land), where ngerh-(r)dow(r)dow(mu) ‘heartbeat’ can mean ‘worry’, which is a form of apprehension. Another relatively common metaphor is where the body part is described as shaking, as in Djinang (Yolngu, Arnhem Land), where galngi wurrwurrtjidji ‘body/torso shake’ means ‘shake with fear’. Many expressions describe courage – i.e. the absence of fear – with reference to hardness or dryness. In Yolngu Matha, ŋoy-d̪a:l ‘heart hard/strong’ means to be ‘brave, strong willed’; in Wubuy (Nunggubuyu, Arnhem Land), wurrij-badbirr ‘chest dry’ means ‘brave’.

Eyes, back and hair

The eyes present a very different profile, where fear and surprise (a milder experience) both occur in association; while there are fewer references to deeper, violent fears. The metaphors clearly evoke facial expressions and in particular the widening of one’s eyes when surprised, for instance in Wik Mungkan (Cape York), mee' ikAN can mean ‘open eyes’ or ‘be surprised’. In some languages, expressions involving the back map onto fear, apparently echoing a cultural association whereby people expect potential dangers to loom behind their back in the bush. Finally, developing goosebumps as a response to fear seems to have inspired some expressions as well, as in Kaytetye (Central Australia), where arrelyarrenke ‘get goosebumps’ means ‘have bad premonition, have a feeling that someone is behind you’.

References

Bowern, Claire and David Zorc. Yolngu Matha dictionary. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, AILEC 0778, n. d.

Hore, Michael. Nunggubuyu dictionary. Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, AILEC 0247, 1994.

Kilham, Christine, Mabel Pamulkan, Jennifer Pootchemunka, and Topsy Wolmby. Wik Mungkan-English interactive dictionary. AuSIL Interactive Dictionary Series A-6, Australian Society for Indigenous Languages, 2017. Retrieved from http://ausil.org/Dictionary/Wik-Mungkan/lexicon/mainintro.html.

Ponsonnet, Maïa. The language of emotions: The case of Dalabon (Australia). Amsterdam/ Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Co., 2014.

Ross, Alison and Myfany Turpin. Kaytetye to English Dictionary. Alice Springs, N. T.: IAD Press, 2012.

Waters, Bruce E. An interim Djinang dictionary. Darwin: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1983.