linguistic anthropology
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| linguistic anthropology | |
|---|---|
| Field | Anthropology |
| Notable figures | Franz Boas, Edward Sapir, Benjamin Lee Whorf, Dell Hymes, William Labov |
| Related fields | Sociolinguistics, Cognitive science, Folklore studies, Ethnography |
linguistic anthropology is the interdisciplinary study of how language influences social life. It is a branch of cultural anthropology that explores the ways in which language shapes communication, forms social identity and group membership, organizes large-scale cultural beliefs and ideologies, and develops a common cultural representation of natural and social worlds. Practitioners examine the social and cultural foundations of language, as well as the ways linguistic practices illuminate broader anthropological concerns.
Definition and scope
The scope encompasses the examination of language use as a form of social action across diverse communities, from remote villages to global metropolises. It investigates phenomena such as language socialization in the Amazon Basin, honorifics in Japanese society, and political rhetoric in the United States Congress. This field considers how linguistic signs, including those studied by Ferdinand de Saussure, are embedded in power dynamics, as analyzed by scholars like Pierre Bourdieu. Its purview extends to understanding language variation within groups like the Tewa Pueblo or across institutions such as the United Nations.
Historical development
Early foundations were laid by Franz Boas, who emphasized the detailed study of indigenous languages like those of the Kwakiutl as integral to understanding culture. His student, Edward Sapir, further developed this at institutions like the University of Chicago and Yale University, influencing later work on the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis with Benjamin Lee Whorf. The post-World War II era saw a shift toward performance and practice, led by figures like Dell Hymes, who critiqued the Chomskyan focus on innate grammar. The rise of globalization and digital communication has further expanded its horizons, prompting studies on languages in contexts ranging from the European Union to online platforms like Twitter.
Key concepts and theories
Central concepts include linguistic relativity, associated with Sapir and Whorf, which explores how language affects thought. The concept of speech communities, analyzed by William Labov in places like Martha's Vineyard and New York City, examines shared norms. Indexicality, a principle elaborated by Charles Sanders Peirce, describes how linguistic forms point to social contexts. Language ideology, a focus of scholars like Judith T. Irvine, investigates beliefs that legitimize social structures, observable in settings from the British Royal Family to the Navajo Nation. These theories are often applied to analyze events like the O.J. Simpson trial or policies of the Académie Française.
Methodological approaches
Primary methodologies involve long-term ethnography, as practiced by Bronisław Malinowski in the Trobriand Islands, combined with meticulous recording of speech. Discourse analysis is used to dissect interactions in institutions like the U.S. Supreme Court or the BBC. Sociolinguistic interviews, pioneered by Labov, gather data on variation in cities such as Detroit or Philadelphia. Digital tools now analyze corpora from sources like the Corpus of Contemporary American English or exchanges on Facebook. Comparative methods may contrast narrative styles in Homeric epics with those in Apache storytelling.
Major subfields and applications
Major subfields include ethnography of communication, established by Dell Hymes, studying events like tea ceremonies or parliamentary debates. Language socialization research traces how children in communities from Samoa to Los Angeles acquire cultural norms. Studies of language contact and change examine outcomes of colonialism, as seen with Swahili in East Africa or Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea. Applied work involves language revitalization for endangered languages like those of the Cherokee or Maori, often in collaboration with organizations like UNESCO.
Relationship to other disciplines
It maintains a close dialogue with sociolinguistics, sharing interests in the work of William Labov and phenomena like African American Vernacular English. It intersects with cognitive science, particularly regarding the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and research at institutions like the Max Planck Institute. Links to folklore studies are evident in analyses of performances from the Appalachian Mountains to the Kalahari Desert. It contributes to political science through studies of nationalism and language policy in entities like the Soviet Union or the European Union. Its ethnographic approach also aligns with certain strands of sociology, as seen in the work of Harold Garfinkel on ethnomethodology.