essay
SANZA, a characteristic feature of Zande language and thought
Essays in social anthropology • London • Published In 1962 • Pages: 204-228
By: Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (Edward Evan).
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Enlarging upon the findings from his book 'Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande,' Evans-Pritchard elucidates in some depth the semantic and social significance of a speech pattern correlating with those interpersonal relationships where latent hostility, suspicion, or distrust are built-in. Whenever there is potential strain or conflict between kin and non-kin, conversational patterns may often fall into the SANZA category. SANZA is a circumlocutory form of speech or action in which words and gestures have hidden meanings different in quality from their manifest meanings. Individuals will thus conceal their malicious, derisive, contemptuous intent toward others by speaking with sarcasm, irony, innuendo, or in a joking or allegorical style. To the listener the speech appears emotionally neutral, but to the speaker it is a compensatory release or outlet for his anger or ill-will toward someone. SANZA thought, which is seen even in proverbs, folk myths, a humor, etc. relates closely to the witchcraft theme in Zande philosophy; and both patterns, according the author, may derive from the sharply authoritarian or hierarchical nature of Azande social structure which limits free or open expression of emotions toward others.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Vocabulary
- Sociolinguistics
- Semantics
- Gestures and signs
- Literature
- Literary texts
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Azande
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 1999
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Central Africa
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Social Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Gilbert Winer ; Robert O. Lagacé ; 1968-1969
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1926-1930
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- not specified
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Central African Republic; Africa
- NotesAdditional notes
- E. E. Evans-Pritchard
- Because of the complexity and varied connotations and uses of the concept of SANZA, it was not possible to index the relevant passages for a single OCM category, or even a pair of categories. Category 195 was selected as the predominant category, but categories 192, 196, 201, 538, or 539 are also used depending on the context.
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Zande (African people)