Anthropology Final Vocab

language

symbolic system expressing meaning through sound and gesture

sign

something that stands for something else

symbol

a type of sign that stands for something else with little or no natural relationship to the referant

icon

a type of sign that physically resembles the referant

phoneme

distinct unit of sound recognized in a language

• e.g. in English the “c” sound in “car”

syntax

how units of speech are put together to create “grammar rules”

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

the language we speak shapes our perception and experience of the world

Code Switching

the practice of moving easily between speech styles or languages in a conversation or a single utterance

proxemics

the study of the cultural use of space

pidgin

languages that develop where cultural contact is sustained and there is no common language, nor one dominant culture and grammar and syntax are very limited

creole

a language that is fully functional, that derives from interaction between two different groups, where vocabulary is often based more on the language of the socioeconomically powerful participant.

non-verbal communication

refers to all the ways we express meaning through gestures, space, touch, and perceptions of time,

hypoxia

condition caused by low levels of oxygen in the body which can affect many systems and produce symptoms such as headaches, shortness of breath, nausea, and confusion

• experiences in high altitude environments (2500 m above sea lvl)

Bergman’s Rule

the principle that an animal’s size is heat-related; smaller bodies are adapted to hot environments and larger bodies are adapted to cold environments

Allen’s Rule

The principle that an animal’s limb lengths are heat-related; limbs are longer in hot environments and shorter in cold environments

Vasodilation

the increase in blood vessels’ diameter; it can occur in response in hot temperatures

Vasoconstriction

the decrease in blood vessels’ diameter; it can occur in response to cold temperatures

hypothermia

a condition in which an organism’s body temperature falls below the normal range, which may lead to the loss of proper body functions and, eventually, death

melanin

a brown pigment that determines the darkness or lightness of skin color, hair color, and eye color due to its concentration in these areas

lactase

protein enzyme that enables the digestion of lactose

• mammal babies have this enzyme until weaning, but persistence is rare into adulthood

Fst value

proportion of total genetic variance contained in a subpopulation relative to the total genetic variance

• high value = most of the variation is between populations

• low value = most of the variation is contained within total populations

criollo

born in the Americas, “creole” identity category based on location of birth not ancestry in Spanish-ruled Central and South American countries but used alongside racial categories

ethnicity

group of people sharing common history, culture and sometimes ancestry distinct from outside groups

short-term responses

in response to heat stress: sweating, lethargy, vasodilation

long-term adaptations

in response to heat stress: enhanced tolerance to work under stress (vasodilation), decrease sweat rate, decrease electrolyte loss, low body weight w/ high surface area

behavioral adaptation (heat)

in response to heat stress

• siesta during hottest part of the day, clothing to keep cool, shelter out of the sun

short-term response

in response to cold stress: vasoconstriction, shivering

long-term responses

in response to cold stress:

• increased resting metabolic rate

• higher skin temp on peripherals (hands + feet)

behavioral adaptation (cold)

in response to cold stress

• warm clothing

• shelter out of the cold

• diet high in fat

Animism

belief that many things in the physical world contain a spirit/supernatural aspect that needs to recognized and respected

syncretism

fusion of traits from two or more cultures to form a new religion

collective effervescence

high group energy from being together and having the same spontaneous experience

ex: crowd watching a soccer game celebrates a goal

exclusionary religion

a type of religion where members are mandated to give up the practice of other religions

ex: christianity, Judaism, Islam

rite of passage

a type of ritual marking a culturally-defined transition in an aspect of a person’s identity where this person goes through stages of being separated from the previous identity

priest

a trained religious practitioner whose power and authority comes from being associated with formalized religious institutions

shaman

religious practitioner whose power is derived from their direct interactions with the spirit realm often created through altered states of consciousness

uncanny valley

As human-like dolls/robots become more accurate in their likeness to living humans, there is a dip in our comfort and an increase in revulsion at being around them as we become more aware of them not being human

Biomedicine

a modality closely linked to the epistemology of science, principles of biology, and the natural sciences which serves to diagnosis disease and promoting healing

ethnomedicine

traditional cultural practices of healing and/or maintaining health, where there is an emphasis on health maintenance and multiple modalities of treatment

culture-bound syndrome

an illness that is only recognized in a specific culture and not related to identifiable causal tissue abnormality

complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)

used alongside biomedicine but not considered to be standard treatment

• ex: acupuncture to lessen side effects of cancer treatment

modalities of treatment used instead of biomedical treatment

• ex: dietary changes instead of chemo to treat cancer

Frazier’s Law of Similarity

things that are similar are considered by magic to be the same, allowing for manipulation

Frazier’s Law of Contagion

things that were once connected are always connected so that manipulations of objects once held by or were a part of people will still be tied to that person

kinship

categories of relationships between people considered to be family

• each culture creates a system of meaning around relationships to determine mutual expectations, rights, responsibilities, etc.

fictive kin

social ties that are based on neither blood nor affinal, which may be established by bonds allowing for chosen kinship, may include religious rituals or close friendships,

affinal relationships

kinship ties that are created by marriage, where one’s spouse’s kin becomes your kin and are bounded by the culture’s conceptions of relationship expectations and obligations

Westermarck Effect

observed cross-culturally, people tend not to be sexually attracted to peers with whom they have grown up before puberty

polyandry

having more than one husband

polygyny

having more than one wife

matrilocal

men marry into and preferentially live near/with their wives’ kin group

patrilocal

women marry into and preferentially live near/with their husbands’ kin group

biological sex

patterns of growth and development of primary and secondary sex characteristics at the levels of gonad development

“Guevedoces”

“testicles at twelve”; individuals with a rare intersex developmental anomaly where there is a deficiency in an enzyme involved in the metabolism of testosterone until puberty, when there is a sudden development of male genitalia

gender

a person’s internal experience of their identity as a man, woman, or some other socially defined category and the expression of that identity in social behavior

intersex

individuals with characteristics of biological sex patterns of growth and development which do not entirely follow specifically male or female pathways

index

when the signifier physically resembles the thing being signified