Language and Culture

•Ability to create and use language is the most distinctive feature of humans

•Humans learn their culture through language

• Culture is transmitted through language

• The anthropological study of languages reveals the cultural factors that shape language use.

• In every language:• there are many ways to communicate our

experiences• there is no absolute standard favoring one way over

another.

• So, what is the evolutionary advantage of language?

Language• The system of

arbitrary vocal symbols used to encode one’s experience of the world and of others.

Linguistics• The scientific study

of language.

• Chomsky also referred to universal grammar as abstract rules that underlie the structure of phrases and sentences in all languages

• Generally associated with the origins of human thought

Linguistic Competence-A term coined by linguist Noam Chomsky to refer to the mastery of adult grammar.

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• A term coined by anthropological linguist Dell Hymes to refer to the mastery of adult roles for socially and culturally appropriate speech.

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1. Duality of patterning (Staircase, shoreline)2. Displacement (not happening at moment)3. Semantics (study of meaning)4. Syntax (govern words and phrases; order)

In regards to language, these four are important

Pragmatics• The study of language in the context of its use.

Discourse• A stretch of speech longer than a sentence

united by a common theme.

Ethnopragmatics• The study of language use that relies on

ethnography to illuminate the ways in which speech is both constituted by and constitutive of social interaction.

Language Ideology• A marker of struggles between social groups

with different interests, revealed in what people say and how they say it.

• Does this ideology vary by gender?– Men: more likely to use obscenity as well as

lack the “ing” at the end of a present-tense word (US/Europe)

– Women: more likely to avoid direct-action conflict through language

Dialect, as some studies show, will vary within one society-based on economic and social status

HOWEVER, keep in mind, the dialect of those in power with wealth have molded the standard for that society

No one dialect is better than another, when referring to conversation

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Until the late 19th century, many US leaders did not discourage the use of other languages

This changed dramatically with WW2Presently, some of these “E-O” advocates are

pushing for their tax dollars to not be spent on instructional material, including:

Voter RegistrationHealth Care pamphletsMotor Vehicle FormsCan you see future problems with such possible

implementations?

Language Number of Speakers in 2000

Spanish 28,100,000

Asian and Pacific Islander

4,900,000

Chinese 4,900,000

French 2,000,000

German 1,600,000

Italian 1,380,000

Native American 364,000

• African American Vernacular English (AAVE)

• This has patterned rules of phonology, syntax, and semantics

• The omission of the verb “to be”: “she’s smart” would be converted to “she smart”

• The origins of such have a conversion of West African origins to present-day Southern US dialect

One dialect becomes standard, most others become stigmatized and marginalized

Think about your perceptions about the different dialects throughout the U.S.

What do others think of us?

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• Such research has been critical of so-called “intelligence tests” on non-Western subjects

• These tests are not holistic and do not encapsulate an individual’s entire experience

• Today, it is unclear exactly what the results of intelligence tests represent.

• Humans must learn to pattern and adapt behavior and ways of thinking and feeling to the standards considered appropriate in their respective cultures.

• Two early linguistic anthropologists Benjamin Whorf and Edward Sapir

• The language people speak influences the way people think

• For example, the Inuit have 3-4 separate words for “ice”. Each word describes the feature of the ice• Why would this be important to the Inuit?• Can you think of any other words within any culture?

Considerable variation in the number of

languages in the world

• 95% of the world’s people speak fewer that 100 of the approximate 6,000 different languages

• Linguists concerned about the last 5% of the world’s languages which are in danger of disappearing

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According to the author, loanwords are words taken from another language

Examples:Greek: agnostic, chlorine, telephoneAfrican Languages (Bantu): Gorilla, jazz, tote,

yamNative North American: Bayou, pecan, mooseSanskrit: Yoga, karma

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• Used to establish and define social relationships and language all of us use in group situation

• “small talk”, negotiations, encouragement, expression of friendship are examples

• Because those who are effective in building

social skills are likely to succeed, children need to develop need to develop awareness of the ability to use language to establish relationships, work cooperatively, enjoy companionship

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Used to express individuality and personality

• Strong feelings and opinions are a part of personal language

• Often neglected in classrooms and thought inappropriate.

• Yet through personal language that students relate their own lives to the subject matter being taught establish their own esteem and confidence

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Used to create a world of one’s own, to express fantasy through dramatic play, drama, poetry or stories

• Unless it is fostered, it will rapidly disappear in later years. Its importance cannot be underestimated

• How difficult some teachers find it to get students to write with imagination

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The act of transmitting information that influences the behavior of another person

• While communication among animals is critical to their survival, it is limited

compared to human language

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Animal systems of verbal communication are referred to as call system

• Call system—a form of communication among non-human primates composed of a limited number of sounds that are limited to specific stimuli in the environment • Chimp-”Squeal Squeal”–”danger here”

• “Closed System”

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Primate Communication system is complex

• Non-Human Primate have a Closed Call System

• Sounds are unique in form and message

• Sounds are mutually exclusive

• Can’t signal “Tomorrow I’ll climb that tree”

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Chimps and Gorillas have latent capacity for language

• Do not have physical vocal equipment to produce speech as humans know it

• Taught Sign Language

• Initiates “Speech”

• Teaches daughter “Sign Language”

http://www.cwu.edu/~cwuchci/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRM7vTrIIis

Is capable of recreating and complex thought patterns and experiences in words

• Without human language, human culture would not exist • Plays a crucial role in the maintenance of

human social relationships

• Because language is a creative and open system it is extremely flexible and can communicate new ideas and abstract concepts

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What words have disappeared from our society in the last 60 years?

Which ones have appeared?What are some of the causes for the loss or

development?

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