ANT115 Lanugage & Culture

Derived from key terms in chapter two of Ottenheimer/Pine's textbook

cultural emphasis

an important aspect of a culture, often reflected in the vocabulary the culture’s members speak

ethnosemantics

an anthropological approach in which vocabulary is analyzed to learn about systems of meaning and perception

• same as ethnoscience + cognitive anthropology

cognitive anthropology

an anthropological approach in which vocabulary is analyzed to learn about systems of meaning and perception

• same as ethnoscience + ethnosemantics

ethnoscience

an anthropological approach in which vocabulary is analyzed to learn about systems of meaning and perception

• same as ethnosemantics + cognitive anthropology

semantic domain

an area of meaning in a language (e.g. plants or animals)

categorization system

the way a language categorizes items

ethnoscientific model

the image that speakers are said to have of the world; can be built through analyzing vocabulary systems and how each word relates to every other word in a language

• same as mental map

mental map

the image that speakers are said to have of the world; can be built through analyzing vocabulary systems and how each word relates to every other word in a language

• same as ethnoscientific model

ethnography

an anthropological study of a culture

taxonomy

a chart showing hown words in a specific semantic domain are related to one another

componential analysis

a method for revealing the culturally important features by which speakers of a language distinguish different words in a semantic domain (e.g. being edible is an important distinguishing feature of vegetables)

• same as feature analysis, contrast analysis

feature analysis

a method for revealing the culturally important features by which speakers of a language distinguish different words in a semantic domain (e.g. being edible is an important distinguishing feature of vegetables)

• same as componential analysis, contrast analysis

contrast analysis

a method for revealing the culturally important features by which speakers of a language distinguish different words in a semantic domain (e.g. being edible is an important distinguishing feature of vegetables)

• same as componential analysis, feature analysis

prototype theory

a theory that suggests that categories can be “graded” and that some members of a category can be more central than others (e.g. a robin might be a more prototypical bird than an emu as it represents more features we commonly associate with birds)

linguistic relativity

the idea that:

• languages are different.

• they are arbitrary systems.

• knowing one language does not allow you to predict how another language will categorize and name the world.

(e,g. how different languages divide and name the visible color spectrum)

linguistic determinism

the idea that your language affects, even determines, your ability to perceive, think, and talk about things

principle of linguistic relativity

the idea, articulated by Benjamin Lee Whorf, that speakers of different languages have different views of the world

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

essentially just the concept of linguistic determinism

• a.k.a. Whorf-Sapir hypothesis or Whorfian hypothesis

Strong Whorf

the idea that language forces you to think and perceive only in certain ways (“language is a prison”)

• one interpretation of linguistic determinism principles

Weaker Whorf

the idea that language subtly influences the ways you think and perceive, but you can shift your perspective with enough practice (“language is a room”)

• one interpretation of linguistic determinism principles

deictic concepts

“pointing” concepts; specifying the location of something from the point of view of the speaker (e.g. up/down, left/right, front/back)

frames

similar to the idea of worldview; created by words, frames can invoke metaphors, grouping ideas into commonly used phrases and influencing the way we experience things

ideology

a set of ideas we have about the way things should be

hypocognition

a lack of the ideas that you need for talking or thinking about something

• can be caused by having to talk about something you have no frame for in your language