Misconceptions and Mistranslations

Abstract

For years the Yapese language has been perceived to be on its way out. In this chapter, this perceived looming death of language is examined as a necessary tangent to traditional Yapese practices, specifically traditional Yapese dances. It examines how the preservation of the traditional practice of dancing is important to the survival of the language and how meaning is created. In this chapter, meaning is specifically gleaned from the body and the spaces from which the traditional Yapese dances emerge. Furthermore, this chapter illustrates how instances of failure to appropriately use meaning in association with dance has resulted in lost meaning.