Chapter 4 - Language

fChapter 4 - Language Quiz 1 – Friday, Oct. 7 Midterm - Oct. 28 Quiz 2 - Nov. 18 Final - Dec. 16 USA - Many consider this a one language country House of Representatives declared english to be national language of US 30 states have english only laws - Near 7,000 languages are currently in use around the world - Linguistic anthropology is one of the 4 field approaches used around the world Linguistic Anthropology - Examine language details like grammar, vocabulary, sound - Study role of language in people's lives - Humans are born with the ability to learn language - Languages change & grow & adapt to needs & circumstances of people who speak them - The number of languages decreases every year under pressure of globalization - Languages are deeply embedded in culture; some even believe that languages are culture - - - Language is not only words, but poetry, gestures, etc. It is a system of communication that uses symbols like words, sounds, and gestures It is organized according to certain rules to carry any kind of information Human language symbols or words have historical and cultural meanings Non-human primates do not have physical capacity to create human sounds & speech, especially vocal cords, tongue Lyn Miles raised a chimp, Chantek, as a human child since 9 months - Suggests that primates have the ability to talk, understand, and communicate - Can develop language skills same as 2-3yr old child - People say they lack creativity like humans Genetic information - Because of one gene, some had problems using their lips, tongues, & other cognitive problems Archaeological evidence - Provides further clues to the origins of human language Descriptive linguistics - Language is a system of symbols, marks, writing and gestures - Descriptive linguistics is the study of the construction of these sounds - Their meaning & their combination into forms that communicates meaning - Through this anthropologists work to describe the elements and rules of a language Phonemes - Smallest unit of sound that can make a difference in meaning - Pig vs Big Phonology is the study of this - Language has limited phonemes Morphemes - Smallest unit of sound that carry the meaning on their own Syntax - In human language, we combine morphemes to form phrases and sentences relying on specific patterns and rules called syntax Grammar - The combination of rules governing the formation of morphemes and syntax that guide the use of languages - Must master more than spoken or written language Kinesics - Study of body movement Paralanguage - Extensive set of noises such as laughter, crying, sigh, yell and tone of voice that show significant information about the speaker; like anger, sadness, happiness, excitement, indifference, etc. - - - In 19th & 20th century several linguistics provided different theories about the way language and speakers influence the world - Ferdinand de Saussure & Claude Levi-Struass - Noam Chomsky (linguist & philosopher) said human brain is a hardwire w/ basic framework for organizing language that creates a universal grammar - Sapi-Whorf believed that different languages create different ways of thinking & classification of reality → Shakespeare in the Bush Shakespeare in the Bush - Laura bohannan talks about different challenges that vocabulary and different ways of perceiving the world brings translation - Hamlet – she tried to translate to Tiv language Language does not control our thinking, but influences the way we see the world They change as natural & cultural world changes, and humans create new words & concepts to describe and discuss changes Focal vocabulary: More words of colors - Colors are not described in the same way in different cultures - Robin lakoffs found that we added more colors for fashion & makeup indisutrues - Women are better at distinguishing colors than men according to her research Socio linguistics - Studies the relationship between language & cultural categories like race, age, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and class Language & power - Words can carry deep meaning based on the history of their use in a culture - Ex. N word - Language and gender are related - 2 man theoretical frameworks 1. Difference model - says they are just different a. Believes the use of language by men and women within a culture is like a cross cultural communication because of their different linguistics b. Boys play in larger groups and compete for group status using verbal stories 2. Dominance model a. Examine how boys & girls learn communication differently in school, work, play b. Men have generally superior positions in society and family, which is shown in their language c. Women are more likely to ask, request, agree, support, and apologize… which is changing!! - - Language is mostly described as a complete system of communication, but dialect is considered as a non-standard variation of a language The categorization and evaluation of certain way of speaking as dialect and others as a language can be traced in power - For example, a particular language like standard English may be elevated in a culture as the prestige language… associated with wealth, education, etc. - Other variation of language will be judged based on that prestige language When somebody can talk 2 or more languages, they have 2 or more parallel systems in their brain for talking or even writing Historical linguistics - The study of the development of language over time, including its changes and variations - By doing this, historical linguists can find the connection between languages and identify their origins. - do that by comparing vocab, syntax, grammar, etc. - Languages appear gradually over distance so that groups of people who live near one another can understand each other - As people move, grammar & vocab are loaned to another language, no pure language in the world - The idea of one language for the whole world came about 50 years ago - Esperanto