Language, Space, and Social Relationships

Giovanni Bennardo is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University.

• 1. A foundational cultural model in Tongan language, culture, and social relationships; 2. The Kingdom of Tonga: country, people, and language; Part I. Space in Tongan Language, Culture, and Cognition: 3. Space in Tongan language; 4. Space in Tongan cognition; 5. Tongan culture and space; Part II. Radiality: 6. The radiality hypothesis; 7. Radiality in possession and time; 8. Radiality and the Tongan kinship terminology; Part III. Radiality in Social Relationships: 9. Radiality and speech about social relationships; 10. Radiality and mental representations of social relationships; 11. Radiality in social network; 12. A radial mind.

'… sets a new standard for scientific ethnography. Its empirical and analytical rigor represents a resounding rejoinder to those who would argue that anthropology cannot be an empirical science or that culture does not exist. The book makes a brilliant and challenging case for the power of cultural-models theory in cultural anthropology. And for those of us who do cognitive anthropology, the book surely raises the bar for what counts as empirical testing and validation of our hypotheses. Bravo.' The Journal of Language in Society