La bouche entre la parole et l'insulte. L'exemple du kàsīm (Burkina Faso)

The analysis of the Kasim language reveals that the mouth is closely associated with speech in several ways. First of all, it is anatomically divided into two areas : the front part reserved for « saying » ; and the back, for « speaking ». There is probably another area differentiating human speech from the talk of animals in folktales. Secondly, the term designating the mouth serves linguistically to refer to various uses of speech. Finally, the mouth is the target of insults ; the « insulted mouth » becomes an anatomical counter-type of speech — a « deformed mouth » that loses its right to speak.