LANGUAGE CHAPTER 5

WHAT IS LANGUAGE? Language Spoken or written primary form of communication Writing – 6,000 years old Transmitted through learning

What does it do for us? Conjure up elaborate images Discuss the past and the future Share experiences with others

LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY Linguistic Anthropology Comparison Variation Change Discoveries about history Linguistic differences – varied worldviews and patterns Role of language in colonization and expansion Sociolinguists Dialects and style to reflect social differences

ANIMAL COMMUNICATION Only humans speak Animals (monkeys and apes) Call systems – limited number of sounds (calls) that are produced when particular environmental stimuli are encountered Food and danger? One call Cant combine calls

SIGN LANGUAGE Apes have used sign language Washoe (1966) – surrounded by humans who only spoke sign language “you, me, go out, hurry” Lucy (1967) Swearing, joking, telling lies Killed by poachers after being released

Cultural Transmission Communication system through learning is a fundamental attribute of language Washoe and Lucy tried to teach other chimps Gorillas could also be used BUT were more dangerous Koko learned 700 different signs Productivity Using the rules of language to produce entirely new expressions that are comprehensible for other native speakers

Displacement Humans can talk about things that are not present

ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE Developed over hundreds of years Call systems were transformed Speak of things we have never experienced Anticipate responses before we encounter stimuli

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Facial expressions, body language Women and girls – look at each other directly Males – more likely to look straight ahead especially when the other person is a male (male seated beside them) In groups – women with women – relaxed Women with men – stricter stance Men – relaxed

Kinesics – study of communication through body movements, stances, gestures, and facial expressions

Linguistics What is said How it is said Features that convey meaning Gestures Pitch

THE STRUCTURE OF LANGUAGE Descriptive linguistics Phonology – speech sounds Morphology – the forms in which sounds combine (cats – cat-s) Lexicon – dictionary containing all the morphemes and their meanings Syntax – arrangement and order of words

Speech Sounds Foreigners Phoneme – a sound contrast that’s makes a difference; differentiates meaning Region Free Dialect – dialect of TV network newscasters Phonetics – study of speech sounds in general what people say in various languages Phonemics – significant sound contrasts EX: aspirate vs. spin - the “puff” of air

LANGUAGE, THOUGHT AND CULTURE All languages have a common structural basis Universal grammar Different societies needed to learn how to communicate Creole language English, China, Papua New Guinea, West Africa

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis Different cultures have different words (or lack of words) to describe Differences between males and females US – different levels of attention Portuguese – no future events Hopi – no difference - no past, present, future

Focal Vocabulary – specialized set of terms and distinctions that are important to certain groups EX: Hockey Puck – biscuit Goal/net – pipes Penalty box – sin bin Hockey stick – twig Helmet – bucket

Meaning Ethnosemantics – classification systems of various languages

SOCIOLINGUISTICS Sociolinguistics Relationship between social and linguistic variation, or language in its social context How do different speakers use a given language? How do linguistic features correlate with social stratification, including class, ethnic and gender differences,? How is language used to express, reinforce, or resist power?

Linguistic Diversity Style Shifts – vary our speech in different contexts Home vs. work Diglossia – switch dialects EX: Belgium (German and Flemish)

Geography, culture, socioeconomic differences Dialects coexist in the US Social rankings based on speech patterns Dese, dem, dere Ain’t Uneducated speech

“I DON’T WANT NONE” Upper Middle Class Lower Middle Class Upper Working Class Lower Working Class Men6.3% Women

Gender Speech Contrasts Women pronounce words different from men Japan – higher voice Women tend to be more careful about uneducated speech Men use working-class speech (more manly) Men use forceful words (cursing!) Descriptions are based on importance to the person

Stratification Extralinguistic forces – social, political, and economic EX: New York (1972) Pronunciation of “R” in NYC Department Stores Saks 5 th Avenue (High End) 62% (68 people) Macy’s (Middle) 51% (125 people) S. Klein’s (Lower) 20% (71 people)

Habits determine access to employment Wealth, prestige, power Presidents Symbolic domination

HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS Historical linguistics Long-term change in language Daughter languages Languages that descend from the same parent language French and Spanish – Latin Protolanguage The original language