During this discussion I used the Kaluli word hego:, which means „underneath,“ for the English word „meaning.“ The phrase hego: wido: (or wilo:) means „showed the underneath.“5 The implication is to lay bare the meaning, to indicate what might not be literally evident, to show another side of the coin, or, literally following the idiom, to get under the surface of things. The notion that meanings are „underneath“ surfaces is a rather fundamental Kaluli idea. Things are not simply what they appear to be; what is intended is always potentially far more than what is said or how it is said. In this context, the Kaluli metalinguistic label bale to, „turned
over words,“ is quite apt to designate metaphors, obfuscations, allusions, connotations, lexical substitutes, and poetic devices (Feld 1982:138-144).

Getting to the „underneath“ of what is implied is „turning over“ words to rotate or shift their multifaceted figure and ground possibilities.

Part of this was simply a matter of excitement and of Kaluli interactional styles, many of which seem governed by the maxim: Always maintain intensity; don’t hold back. Kaluli interactions,
with outsiders and Kaluli companions, often come across as animated, sharp, bubbly. This is a key feature of Kaluli assertion (E. L. Schieffelin 1976:118-126; B. B. Schieffelin 1979:141-143). Borrowing some hip-hop argot from Grandmaster Blaster, many Kaluli don’t hesitate to:
cap your rap, seal your deal, steal your meal while you spin your wheel

Indeed, it does not take long to figure out that Kaluli are quick to speak up and quicker to interrupt. You don’t have to be like me, Jewish and from the urban Northeast, to enjoy and engage in Kaluli interactions, but I think it helps, partic- ularly in terms of interpreting the subtleties of this lively interpersonal and verbal style as collaborative engagement rather
than pushy abrasiveness (a not-so-un- common attribution made both about Jews and Papua New Guinea Highlanders)During this discussion I used the Kaluli word hego:, which means „underneath,“ for the English word „meaning.“ The phrase hego: wido: (or wilo:) means „showed the underneath.“5 The implication is to lay bare the meaning, to indicate what might not be literally evident, to show another side of the coin, or, literally following the idiom, to get under the surface of things. The notion that meanings are „underneath“ surfaces is a rather fundamental Kaluli idea. Things are not simply what they appear to be; what is intended is always potentially far more than what is said or how it is said. In this context, the Kaluli metalinguistic label bale to, „turned
over words,“ is quite apt to designate metaphors, obfuscations, allusions, connotations, lexical substitutes, and poetic devices (Feld 1982:138-144).

Getting to the „underneath“ of what is implied is „turning over“ words to rotate or shift their multifaceted figure and ground possibilities.

Part of this was simply a matter of excitement and of Kaluli interactional styles, many of which seem governed by the maxim: Always maintain intensity; don’t hold back. Kaluli interactions,
with outsiders and Kaluli companions, often come across as animated, sharp, bubbly. This is a key feature of Kaluli assertion (E. L. Schieffelin 1976:118-126; B. B. Schieffelin 1979:141-143). Borrowing some hip-hop argot from Grandmaster Blaster, many Kaluli don’t hesitate to:
cap your rap, seal your deal, steal your meal while you spin your wheel

Indeed, it does not take long to figure out that Kaluli are quick to speak up and quicker to interrupt. You don’t have to be like me, Jewish and from the urban Northeast, to enjoy and engage in Kaluli interactions, but I think it helps, partic- ularly in terms of interpreting the subtleties of this lively interpersonal and verbal style as collaborative engagement rather
than pushy abrasiveness (a not-so-un- common attribution made both about Jews and Papua New Guinea Highlanders)