Linguistic Status Differentiation in Polynesian Societies (F03*)

• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 442261292

This project investigates linguistic human differentiation regarding status in the stratified societies of Polynesia, based on the distinction between “chiefs” and the common population. Key questions are: What referential and indexical means are used to create social and familial status asymmetries in Maori and Tongan? Where in Polynesia has this distinction, even to the point of creating distance, been established or dismantled through linguistic taboos? The project also examines the interaction of linguistic structures and ways of speaking with situated practices such as proxemic contact avoidance, seating arrangements, and gift exchange.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1482: Studies in Human Differentiation
• Applicant Institution: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
• Project Head: Dr. Svenja Völkel