Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
Published byCatherine McDonald Modified over 9 years ago
2
Anthropological linguists Language and culture inseparable Meaning comes from A. spoken word B. culturally agreed upon conventions about 1. how words used and interpreted 2. how they have been used in the past within a particular culture
3
Topic: What is considered appropriate to talk about with someone you just met? Politcs? Religion? Agonism: Is it appropriate to oppose the views of someone you just met? If so, how strongly? Amplitude, pitch, and tone of voice: How loud or soft should your voice be to convey emotions? Intonation: What do rising and falling intonations indicate? Interest, questions, commands?
4
Overlap vs. Interruption: When is talking at the same time interruption (taking the floor away) and when is it a show of interest or enthusiasm? Turn-taking: how do speakers signal that they want to speak or that they are done speaking? Indirectness: What should be said directly, and what should be implied? Framing: How do speakers signal what they think they are doing, chatting, arguing, etc.
5
We all use these linguistic devices when communicating We take them for granted when our expectations are shared They cause problems when they are not
6
Bateson (1972) developed the concept of framing while observing monkeys at the zoo He asked himself how the monkeys (and visitors) knew that they were playing in spite of there aggressive behavior- biting “playing” and “fighting” are alternate frames to interpret the bites In spite of the biting, the monkeys conveyed a “metamessage” to one another, “This is play.”
7
In conversations between human beings every utterance is framed by a “metamessage” that signals how the what is said is to be interpreted For example, literally, sarcastically, angrily, or teasingly Everything in a conversation contains clues so that participants can not only understand what is “said” but what is “going on” For example, in American English sarcasm is signaled by flat intonation and exaggerated stress
8
For example, “Nice one” after a missed basketball shot, or “Thanks a lot” when the speaker does not really appreciate what has happened Fasold & Connor-Linton (2006) argued that framing shows that language and culture are inseparable since you cannot communicate or interpret without signaling metamessages Metamessages vary from culture to culture e.g. “How are you?” “Have you eaten” “Where are you going?”
9
Gumperz (1982), the founder of interactional sociolinguistics, examined how intonation and loudness signal the frame for interpretation, and what happens when these linguistic features differ from one culture to another He called these “contextualization clues” (similar to “framing”) Indian and Pakistani workers in a British airport “Gravy” British rising intonation= question; falling intonation= take it or leave it
10
Lakoff (1975) indentified three Rules of Rapport for speakers: 1. Don’t impose 2. Give options 3. Maintain camaraderie Emphasizing different rules leads to different styles of politeness For example when asked, “Would you like something to drink?” A vistor who replies “No thanks.” Rule1 “I’ll have whatever your having.” Rule 2 “Yes thanks. Have you got a diet Coke?” Rule 3 Consider food offering in Greek (Rule 1) and American culture (Rule 3)
11
Tannen (1984) examined framing and politeness amongst Americans of different backgrounds “high involvement” and “high considerateness” Overlap- avoiding overlap to not impose on another speaker - “high considerateness” Embracing overlap to show enthusiasm- “high involvement” tend to have shorter pauses faster rate of speech, more questions American and French Women American and German Student New Yorkers
12
Back-channel clues- “the verbalizations that speakers make to show they are listening” Vary from culture to culture Japan- “aizuchi” frequent rhythmic head nods American men use fewer and mean “I agree” American women use more to mean “I’m listening”
13
Indirectness: Japanese place great value on indirectness “sasshi” Many native Americans do as well Journalist who went to Japan asked to see a robot and was told “That might be possible.”
14
Women tend to ask questions; whereas men tend to be more direct. “Is it hot in here?” “Are you thirsty?” Harness and Goodwin (1990) found that girls base their relationships around talk and tend to play in small groups or pairs Girls tend to discourage play that place one on a higher footing than another Boys play in larger groups that tend to be hierarchically organized Use language to assert dominance and attract attention
15
Happens when two speakers with different linguistic styles don’t come to understand one another but become increasingly frustrated A process by which two speakers drive one another to more and more extreme expressions of different ways of speaking For example, American man inviting a Japanese women to lunch
16
Agar (1994) posited that language and culture are inextricably bound coined the term “languaculture” Sapir-Whorf hypothesis- the claim that language shapes thinking Strong form (linguistic determinism) your language limits, controls how you think Weak form (linguistic relativity) language makes it easier to understand ideas for which it has words or grammatical categories for
Similar presentations
© 2024 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.