The perception verbs in Lussese (Bantu J10): a matter of experience

In this paper I discuss the existing work on language theory and perception and further present some introductory information about Lussese, a language which I am presently documenting in Uganda. Secondly, I explore the polysemies of the perception verbs as we find them in the dictionaries of some Bantu languages spoken in the Great Lakes Region. Then I give some examples of the use of two perception verbs, the counterparts of hear and smell in Lussese and I argue that the grammar and the vocabulary of the senses reflect cultural parameters rather than universal principles. This is followed by various arguments showing that our analysis and understanding of languages and the grammar of the senses fails if we treat cultural, social and historical parameters as subordinate matters or even not at all. Language Documentation and Description, Vol. 10 (2012): Special Issue on Humanities of the lesser-known: New directions in the description, documentation and typology of endangered languages and musics