ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with cultural constructions that frame appropriate Kaluli discourse and with some kinds of discourse that operate within that frame. It begins with ethnographic and metalinguistic materials scaffolding the Kaluli notion of 'hardness', the Kaluli conception of language and speech, and the specific idea of 'hard words'. Kaluli everyday life is overtly focused around verbal interaction. The cultural construction and prominence of halaido in Kaluli growth, adulthood, and presentational style can in part be traced to an origin myth which shows how the world was once muddy and soft. Kaluli discourse must be analyzed in relation to the belief system that constructs its organization and goals, as well as the social ends which it accomplishes for participants. The chapter constructs an analysis from the bottom up satisfies both the demands of ethnographically situated explications and the demands of explaining the ordinary and routine ways that Kaluli interactions actualize cultural expectations about language use and meaningful social behavior.
