Anthro 111 Linguistic and Biological Anthropology

Pragmatics

study of language in the context of its use

examples of call systems in humans

laughing, sobbing, screaming, groaning, sighing

semiotics

study of signs/symbols and their use

Phonemes

sounds

Morphemes

patterns of use (words)

Grammar

rules of use of morphemes

Focal words

set of words and distinctions important to a certain group

Sapir-Whorf hypotheses

different languages produce different ways of thinking

focal words and the Sapir-Whorf relate because specific words show what is important to a culture or population

Dialect

a variety of language spoken by a group of people with distinct sounds and syntax

Linguistic Profiling

a listener uses auditory clues to identify a racial, ethnic, or other social cues of a person

how do gendered differences manifest in language?

performance: masculine, feminine, non-binary characteristics

gender: man, woman, third gender
sex: male, female, intersex

Rapport talk

a way of establishing connection and negotiating relationships

Report talk

a way of delivering facts and establishing status in a hierarchical orderD

Dialect Continua

a range a mutually intelligible dialects of a language, where the dialects that are close to each other are slightly different 

mutual intelligibility

if a speaker of one language can understand another, it is not a unique languagel

language hotspots

areas with extreme linguistic diversity, containing many highly endangered languages

more language spoken per capita in Papa New Guinea than anywhere else in the world

6,900 languages in the world, 165 indigenous languages in north america

biodiversity hotspots and language hotspots can co-occur

languages are disappearing at an alarming rate, humans are causing them to disappear

language is a distinct way of communicating that only beings training by humans can use (non-human apes, computers)

non-verbal gestures, facial expression, body posture all happen alongside language and are influenced by cultural difference

semiotics

the study of signs and symbols

language uses symbols, non-linguistic signs do not use symbols

who do humans share a recent ancestry with

living great apes

biological anthropology

studies how biology and behavior are intertwined, how we came to be so human by studying evolution in the past and present

intelligences had to evolve before traditions came about

paleoanthropology

the study of ancient humans

Paleoanthropology

• most direct physical evidence for human evolution

• study through bones, teeth, and tools

• mostly takes place in EAST AFRICA bc of the tectonic plates

acquired characteristics

• jean baptiste lamark

• claimed that animals and plants were really well adapted to their environment

• claimed that beings acquire a characteristic and the next generation inherits it (which is false)

fitness

reproductive success

natural selection explains evolution

how did primates evolve

dexterous hands, larger brains, color vision, c-shaped to s-shaped spines

bipedalism

walking on two legs

bipedalism helps with 

carrying food, babies, tools, and hunting

Hominins

refers to extinct and living members of human lineage

call systems in humans

laughing, sobbing, screaming, fighting, groaning, sighing

kinesics

study of non-verbal communication

language

a system of symbols used to encode and communicate their experience

important factors in human evolution

• natural selection

• isolation

• movement

Jane Goodall

the first to discover chimps using tools, popularized primatology

Jane Goodall’s methods

gave the chimps human names, habituation

chimps are endangered because of logging and deforestation

strepsirhini

primates with wet or turned noses

haplorhini

primates with simple or dry noses

strepsirhini traits

• rely on smell

• nocturnal

• vertical clingers and leapers

• stereoscopic vision

tarsiers

in the middle of strepsirhini and haplorhini

new world monkeys have grasping tails, old world monkeys have butt pads

hominoids in terms of apes

• simple noses

• largest body size

• socially complex (polygamy)

primate ecology

relationships between animals, plants, and environment

how to study primates

captive studies, semi free-ranging enviornments, field study (habituate)

focal words

words that are important to a specific group due to their shared experiences