The Iban Verbal Symbols as Descriptive Instrument in Iban Folk Tales.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
The Iban Verbal Symbols as Descriptive Instrument in Iban Folk Tales. |
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Author :
Asmah Haji Omar |
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Abstract:
Language is a system of symbols. When we communicate in language we communicate in symbols. Natural languages have the capacity for maximal use for various purposes, and among these is that of describing. In folk tales, whose emergence precedes that of the writing system, the description of a particular phenomenon or process is given in great detail so as to render clarity and vividness to the listener. Often the description is poetic, taking into account not only the imagery in the form of similes, metaphors etc. that are relevant to the object described, but great attention is also given to the harmony of the words in collocation with each other and the beauty of sounds that encase those words. Iban is not an exception. Its folk tales, a considerable number of which have been published by the Borneo Literature Bureau, are a testimony to the skill of the speakers of the language in using it for the purpose of narration and description. In this paper, the descriptive power of Iban is discussed as illustrated in three topics: personal names, manliness and femininity, and references to places.
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Asmah Haji Omar. (1989). The Iban Verbal Symbols as Descriptive Instrument in Iban Folk Tales. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XL (61): 69-78 |
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References
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