slit-log drum, tamtam

Slit-log drumming system of the people of San Cristobal in the Solomon Islands, described by Fox (1924) and Snyders (1969). Other than Bauro, Snyders does not mention the extent of the language varieties or groups studied. The instrument is a slit-log drum (tamtam in Pijin) about four feet long and 15 to 18 inches in diameter (1294). Struck with two short sticks, it produces a high note near the slit and a low note further from the center, 4 or 5 semitones distinct (1295). The language is not tonal according to André Haudricourt (Snyders 1969:1293); the system encodes vowel height. Drum strikes correspond to syllables, with non-low vowel nuclei corresponding to high notes on the drum, and the low vowel /a/ corresponding to low notes. In Snyders’ texts, /a/ is the most common vowel by frequency (1298). Snyders notes that this pattern is somewhat loose, including omitted syllables and unpredicted low or high notes (1298). Archaic and dialectally specific constructions are common (1296). Enphrasing is ubiquitous, but innovative usage is possible: “le langage tambouriné est basé sur des phrases pléonastiques types… Des innovations peuvent naturellement intervenir mais il faut qu’elles aient l’accord general [the drum language is based on standard redundant phrases … innovations can of course take place but they require a general consensus]” (1299). Fox concurs: "These gongs are not merely used, as in Arosi, to send a few short and well-known messages, but serve as a regular means of conveying information from village to village; and by an ingenious system of special beats for a large number of words and a liberal use of metaphor (“tree of the sea" representing a ship) almost any message can be sent to a village as much as eight miles distant" (5).Snyders’ consultants said new descriptors were invented to refer to European missionaries and functionaries (1299). Content includes long-distance communications, names, and announcements of births, deaths, and gatherings.

Snyders, J. (1976). 62. LE LANGAGE PAR TAMBOURS À SAN CRISTOVAL, BRITISH SOLOMON ISLANDS: WITH AN EDITORIAL NOTE BY A. HAUDRICOURT. In Part 2 (pp. 1293–1299). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110804423-033,Fox, C. E. (1924). The Threshold of the Pacific: An Account of the Social Organization, Magic and Religion of the People of San Cristoval in the Solomon Islands. A.A. Knopf.