Linguistic Anthropology Language and Culture

Culture In 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn, published a book containing 164 definitions of culture taken from the published work of anthropologists. Still no universally accepted definition One widely used definition (thanks to Max Weber and Clifford Geertz): Culture is a web of meaning which human beings weave and in which we are suspended.

The emic vs. etic distinction From Phonetics vs Phonemics Two equally valid perspectives from which to view human behavior, activities, values, etc. Emic—subjectively relevant, internally verifiable Etic—objectively identifiable, externally observable

Etic and Emic – an example Etic data—things that are observable 110° F water into mug, water swirled in mug, water poured into the sink, drink poured into mug Emic data—the meaning of the action for the actor He warms his coffee mug so that the coffee tastes better Or She tries to kill all the germs and bacteria that have accumulated in the coffee mug since its last washing I use an example from my own experience. In an office, a man and a woman both rinse their mug out with super-heated water prior to filling it with a beverage. The man, it turns out, thinks this improves the flavor of the beverage. The woman is doing it to kill any microorganisms which may have taken up residence in the cup.

Ethnosemantics 1950s and 60s Frake, Goodenough, Conklin Alternate names: Ethnoscience, Cognitive Anthropology Vocabulary indicates “native” categories Culturally important distinctions Psychological reality or formal account?

Cultural emphases – What IS subjectively relevant? Cultural emphases reflect activities, meet needs Some universal patterns appear to exist, however Color terms – Stages 1-7 Color terms and focal points (Berlin & Kay) Codability—how easy is it to name a color chip Availability—how easy is it to find a given chip in a group of other chips

Color terms – Stages 1-7 Stage 1: black & white Stage 2: black, white & red Stage 3: black, white, red & green or yellow Stage 4: black, white, red, green & yellow Stage 5: black, white, red, green, yellow & blue Stage 6: black, white, red, green, yellow, blue & brown Stage 7: black, white, red, green, yellow, blue, brown & purple, pink, orange, and/or gray

Getting at the Emic – Doing ethnosemantic research Creating a taxonomy Asking questions about relationships: Is X a kind of Y? What other kinds of Y are there? Are there other kinds of X? Taxonomy about relationships Componential analysis Discovering key differences Here, you can use any topic but it is generally easy to generate a detailed taxonomy about selecting a class. Since you are generally teaching this near the beginning of the term, the experience is fresh in the minds of students.

Sapir-Whorf or Whorfian hypothesis: two versions Strong Whorf—language determines thought, you think within the structure of your language Agar—language as prison Weaker Whorf—language provides habitual patterns of seeing, thinking and talking Agar—Language as a familiar room; you know where everything is in it Both forms of linguistic determinism

Linguistic Determinism Origins “Human beings . . . are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society.” (Sapir 1929) “we cannot talk at all except by subscribing to the organization and classification of data” (Whorf 1940)

Examples of Linguistic Determinism: Standard American English (SAE) time = matter units of time = objects passage of time = endless line of identical objects

Examples of Linguistic Determinism: Hopi time = a process units of time = cycles passage of time = endless repetition of same cycle

Experiments in Linguistic Determinism Yucatec Grammar stresses material Connects words for wood, tree, table Individuals group cardboard items together English Grammar stresses shape Different words for wood, tree, table Individuals group boxes together

Experiencing Linguistic Determinism Temporary transfer of control English—lend/borrow Shinzwani—kopa Telling time English—it is half past nine Czech—it is half of ten Relative vs. absolute space English—deictic system Guugu-Yimidhirr—absolute system

Experience and imagination Metaphor—a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance Metonymy—a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part Frame—a system of expectations which influences experience

Metaphors in SAE – a set of examples Anger as Body heat I have a hot temper. Body as container of emotions I am just about up to here! He was filled with grief. Body as container for emotions plus Anger as heat = Heating fluid in a container He was boiling mad. She was fuming. I was steamed. Dealt with by cooling or containing A good workout always helps her cool her temper. I keep my anger bottled up. Potential for explosion, in which things go up I blew my top. She hit the ceiling. He went right through the roof.

Metonyms in SAE – some examples Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. Yesterday, the White House announced… Wall Street reacted badly to the news from Europe. My knee is killing me. If you like it then you should-a put a ring on it.

Frames – structures of expectation we use to make sense of the world Frames make use of, and make sense of, metaphors and metonyms Frames trump facts (Lakoff); they make it difficult to absorb things that don’t fit Examples: The restaurant The classroom

The significance of frames “gay marriage” or “same-sex marriage” “looting” or “finding” “the rich” or “job creators” “quiz” or “assessment” “date” or “hook-up”

Coping with differences Using the one you are in is easier than trying to translate concepts Translation, if it requires completely identical meanings, is frequently not possible The system you are in will shape your perceptions, however Human beings construct the systems of meaning which shape our perceptions You are ALWAYS in a system of meaning, but you are not trapped in any particular system of meaning

Summary Language is a window into culture (Boas) Language is a cultural map (Conklin, Frake…) Language is a guide to social reality (Sapir/Whorf) Linguistic relativity: grammar influences thought A well-accepted idea Linguistic determinism: grammar determines world view Still controversial Language is a framing device (Lakoff) Helps us to organize and frame our experience of the world And to express our experience of the world