Linguistic Anthropology

Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology (9/27)

Language: a system of arbitrary symbols used to encode and communicate their experience

  • Linguistic anthropologists are interested in how language relates to culture


Gestures:

  • People can communicate through gestures or body language

  • Particular to a culture

  • Gestures in your culture can be offensive to another culture; can lead to miscommunication


Call Systems:

  • Natural communication of animals

  • There are some gestures and sounds that are cross cultural

  • Call systems in humans:

    • Laughing

    • Sobbing

    • Screaming

    • Fighting

    • Crying with pain

    • Groaning 

    • Sighing


Kinesics: study of non-verbal communication

  • Different cultures have different awarenesses of personal space


Symbols: stand for something else, completely unrelated

  • Language is a system of symbols

  • Symbol embody the design feature of arbitrariness

  • Symbols are culturally constructed


Semiotics: study of signs/symbols and their use

  • Signifier

  • Signified

  • Icon looks like the thing itself 

  • Index its not the thing itself

  • Symbol is arbitrary



You cannot learn mannerisms, slang, the environment, creolization from a class. You must immerse yourself in the culture.



Learning a Language

  • Phonemes: sounds, or smaller units (every language has phonemes)

  • Morphemes: pattern of use, words (putting the phonemes together)

  • Grammar: rules of use of morphemes 


The way morphemes are put together indicates meaning

  • Ex. the boy bit the dog vs the dog bit the boy


Instead of phonemes, ASL has Cheremes. Instead of auditory, its visual


Koko the gorilla was taught sign language, people argue that the gorilla understands the gesture but not the language. She couldn’t put ASL into abstract language, she didn't understand the language


Pragmatics: the study of language in the context of its use


Major themes in linguistic anthropology: 

  • Language and identity

  • Language and storytelling

  • Evolution of human language

  • Historical linguistics

  • Colonialism and migration- when different cultures come together

  • Power


Linguistic ethnography

  • Toolkit: ethnography

Linguistic lab

  • Recording different vibrations and respiration 



Linguistic Perspectives (9/30)

Verbal language:

Sociolinguists: study of language in a social context; how language relates to social interactions

Focal words: set of words and distinctions important to a certain group

  • Ex. wipe out →yard sale


  • No child left behind act → helps kids pass standardized testing

  • Defense of marriage act 

  • Patriot act → gave US gov officials the ability to spy on phone conversations

  • Protect America 

  • Prolife/prochoice

Focal words of war

  • Friendly fire, neutralize, collateral damage, soft targets, non-operative personnel 


Sapir-whorf hypothesis: different language produce different ways of thinking


An announcer in hockey had thousands of different words for scoring a goal


How are focal words related to the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis?

  • Different cultures have different focal words


Do you really understand a culture if you don't know their focal words?


Dialect: a variety of a language spoken by a group of people with distinct phonemes and/or syntax. 


Reading about stereotypes of appalachian dialects

  • Uneducated

  • Hillbilly

  • Redneck


However, Appalachia is very diverse.