ANT 220: Linguistic Anthropology

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Define Language

Language is a form of communication that uses symbols, sounds, and gestures to covey meanings, express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. It encompasses spoken, written, and signed forms and serves as a fundamental tool for social interaction and cultural expression.

Language is unique because it:

A) Can be used to convey arbitrary meaning

B) It comprises arbitrary letters and symbols that can be arranged and re-arranged to form new meanings.

C) It can be used to convey things that are not immediate.

D) It is not instinctual. It has to be learned.

What does Linguistic Ethnography entail?

A) participant observation

B) Formal interview

C) Informal interview

D) Free Lists

E) Recordings and Lists

Noam Chomsky’s idea of generative language

1.) Humans have the innate ability to understand language.

2.) Generative grammar has a set of rules and principles that can generate an infinite set of sentences from a limited set of elements.

3.) Look at the deep structure of Language

What are the criticisms Noam’s Principles of Language?

1.) Undermines the importance of human interaction in language learning.

2.) Universal grammar is overly simplistic and does not account for languages that do not fit into this model.

Who created the Sapir - Whorf Hypothesis?

Edward Sapir (Linguist) and Benjamin Lee Whorf.

What are the two main principles of the Sapir - Whorf Hypothesis?

1) "The language one speaks determines how one perceives the world.

2) “The categories existing in someone’s language limit and determine what they know.

What are the criticisms of this theory?

1) The hypothesis is too extreme. Humans have universal cognitive abilities that aren’t constrained to language.

2) For example, Whorf claimed the Hopi people do not have words to describe the passing of time. However, they do. It’s just not similarly structured to English.

How many languages are spoken today? How many languages are predicted to be lost in 100 years?

There are over 7,000 languages spoken today. In 100 years, it is expected that 90% will be lost.

What is a phoneme?

The slightest meaningful sound change within a language. [p’] [p] & [ph]

What is an allophone?

Variations of the same phoneme. For example, there are variations of phonemes of “P” in Pan and Spin.

What is Hockett’s Feature of Language

A set of design features that characterize human language as distinct from other forms of communication.

Broadcast Transmission

Transmission and directional reception. There is a sender and there is a receiver.

Rapid Fading

Language is ephemeral. It is over as soon as it is communicated.

Interchangeability

You can both talk and be talked to.

Complete Feedback

You can hear or see what you are saying and make corrections as needed.

Specialization

It’s only function is communication

Semanticity

Language has meaning.

Arbitrariness

No link between a symbol and what it means.

Discreteness

Made up of individual segments that can be arranged and re-arranged.

Displacement

One can talk about something beyond the immediate

Productivity/ Openess

You can say something that has never been said before and it can be understood.

Duality of Patterning

Two levels of organization

1) Meaningless sounds

2) Meaningful parts of language

It has to be learned

It has to be learned despite a genetic predisposition for it.

Prevarication

you have the ability to lie

Reflectiveness

You can use language to communicate language

Learnability

Any human has the potential to learn any language.

Protolanguage is:

A) A group of reconstructed hypothetical ancestral language from which a group of languages are derived from. Ex. Proto-Indo-European

B) Earliest stage of human language evolution.

What is sound change?

The alteration of phonemes or phonetic sounds in a language over time, affecting pronunciation and structure.

Principal of Least Effort

“humans are lazy principle” changes made so that the least amount of effort is taken to say something. For example: Going to —> Gunna

Aphesis

When an unstressed vowel gets dropped from the beginning of the word. For example: Esquire —> Squire.

Syncope

When a sound or sounds get dropped from the middle of the word. For example: Madam —> Ma’am

Apocope

When a sound or sounds gets dropped from the end of the word. For example: child —→ chile or chi

Protothesis

Adding a sound at the beginning of the word. For example: “I’m a’comin’” Mario and Luigi.

Metathesis

When a sound moves around. For example: Prescription —→ Perscription

Assimilation

When a sound changes to become more similar to a sound that it next to it. For example: Ten bucks —→ “Tembucks”

Disimiliation

When a sound changes (or disappears) to become less similar to the sound next to it. For example: February —→ Febuary

What is a Pidgin Language

A communication system that results from different people trying to communicate who do not share the same language. It is usually English-based and used for trade or temporary purposes.

Examples: Tok Pisin and Hawaiian Pidgin

What is a Creole Language

A communication system that results of different people trying to communicate who do not share the same language. These languages are usually French based and are more permanent then pidgin. For example: Haitian Creole and Louisiana Cajun.

Dormant Language

An ethnic community that associates with that language. However, there are no first language speakers.

Extinct Language

There is no ethnic community that associates with that language and there are no first language speakers.

How does a language die?

A) class inequality

B) Social pressure

C) Globalization and homogenization

Threatened, Dormant, and Extinct languages

Threatened: Chulym

Dormant: N/U or Hawaiian

Extinct: Tillamook

Methods of Language Revitalization

Summer camps or educational programs for kids and record keeping.

Language vs. Dialect

Language: a system of communication that has its own set of mutually intelligible set of rules, grammar, vocabulary, and phonology.

Dialect: A regional or social variation of language characterized by differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

Phonemic variation

Differences in how you produce a sound and how they are perceived.

Phonological Variation

Differences in how you pronounce a something based on the sound system/phonological inventory given to you.

Morphological variation

Differences in how you construct a word.

Female Speech

flowery speech, tag questions, and intonation change.

Male speech

Male speech is characterized by using fewer words, being less descriptive, and often employing more direct language.

Linguistic Profiling

Linguistic profiling is the practice of identifying an individual's characteristics, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or group affiliation, based on their speech or language patterns.