Showing Appreciation KWS-3

Title: Rockfall & Showing Appreciation

Date: 06/20/2019

Observer: Kurt Smith

Setting: 15:40 in the afternoon. Kazadisenja. At an anthracite mine, south sector.

Description of Activity

Dokon and Rikon are excavating inside an anthracite mine, approximately 100 yards inside the mouth of the cave. Lamps are set near them at the mouth of the small offshoot tunnel from the main tunnel. Laton and Pakum (the apprentices) wait at the mouth of the tunnel to haul the coal out after Dokon and Rikon chip it off flakes from the cave wall. Laton and Pakum observe the excavation. I observe just behind Laton.

Dokon strikes the wall of anthracite with his axe, flaking off pieces that fall to the floor in front of him.

“Too deep and the chunks are too heavy,” he says loudly over his shoulder. He strikes the floor of the wall up to the cave’s ceiling in procession.

“Keep the wall smooth. Match the shape of the tunnel. Only cut /liki baiyoshlen/ (“little coal” or “a small amount of coal”),” Dokon explains.

His axe makes a reverberating sound as he strikes the top layer of coal near the ceiling. Rikon steps near to inspect the spot.

A column of anthracite mingled with stone leans inward toward Dokon and Rikon. Rikon takes a step back but stumbles and falls. Dokon springs forward, intercepts the massive column of rock, and heaves, attempting to raise it back up. The parts where anthracite mingled with the stone crack and give way. The column crumbles downward under Dokon’s arms.

Laton and Pakum both cry out in alarm, “/zingu! zingu!/”

Rikon scurries backward. Dokon releases a strained “/zingu!/” Seeing Rikon just out of danger, he releases his grip and steps back, allowing the rest of the column to collapse to the floor.

Rikon rises to his feet. He and Dokon stare at each other for a few seconds, both panting from excitement and exertion.

“/ka/. /ka/ (thanks, thanks)” Rikon says, and reaches with his left arm to grip Dokon’s right arm.

They stare at each other for another few seconds, and Rikon releases his grip. Laton and Pakum gather shards of anthracite from the pile of rubble while Rikon and Dokon return to the outside.

Reflections

            After the excitement of the evening abated, I asked Rikon about his use of the clipping /ka/ in such as situation rather than the formal /kanju/ at least, or even, perhaps more appropriately, /kanjubar/ for such a life-sparing feat Dokon had performed.

Rikon laughed and repeated the word I said, /kanjubar/ in a mocking tone. “The traders and thinkers can keep their /kanjubar/. The Kazad (people of Kazadisenja) will keep our /ka/” he answered, grabbing my arm in a surprisingly tight grip as he said the word /ka/, and staring directly into my eyes for a few seconds, just as I had observed in the mine.

It seems that a uniquely Kazad way of performing the speech act of appreciation has developed on this island, one which uses two nonverbal signs in addition to the verbal sign /ka/. Such a meaningful appreciation is expressed through four means: onset with the utterance /ka/, two simultaneous nonverbal signs (strong grip of the recipient’s arm and direct eye contact), and time (holding the nonverbal signs for approximately five seconds). This speech act appears to align with other features of the Kazad’s use of language, as the Kazad embrace linguistic economy: frequently clipping words or expressions, incorporating nonverbal communication in place of verbal communication, and using a direct variety of the Chongja language.