Abstract

PRECI, Alberto. The motorcycle’s words. Approaching the Wichí world through mechanics. Rev. Mus. Antropol. [online]. 2020, vol.13, n.3, pp.07-22. ISSN 1852-060X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.31048/1852.4826.v13.n3.28098.

Abstract Stressing a study of the Wichí language, the objective of this article is to study the motorcycles, and even more their adoption and verbal adaptation, as vectors for advancing the understanding of lexical Wichí acculturation within a framework of inter-ethnic relations. The study of the language is constituted as a previous and essential stage to understand the current complexity of the Wichí world and the way in which they relate to the mechanical. This article is based on an analysis of the terms that the young Wichí of the Chaco region of Formosa, who are taking part in classes to become mechanics, translate, integrate and adapt in order to appropriate not only a technical vocabulary, but also the motorcycles themselves. The findings of this research testify to the diverse lexical strategies that the young Wichís develop as elements from different cultures and knowledge intermingle. In this sense, investigating the motorcycles words becomes a useful and pertinent tool to advance in the study of the language of the young Wichís, as well as their culture.

Keywords : Wichí language; Motorcycles; Mechanics; Lexical acculturation; Technical vocabulary.

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