Contents

Introduction...............................................................................................2
Linguistic antopology...............................................................................3
Other fields similar to linguistic anthropology.....................................4
Anthropological linguistics................................................................4
Sociolinguistics..................................................................................4
Conclusions...............................................................................................5
Reference..................................................................................................5
Introduction
Linguistic anthropology (LA) is an approach to the study of language that focuses
on the relation between language, society, and culture. It is considered by some to
be a branch of general linguistics, by others a branch of anthropology, and by still
others as an autonomous discipline.it is roots are in foundation of linguistics as a
science in nineteenth century after English scholar Sir William Jones , remarked
that Sanskrit, Persian, Greek, and Latin sprang from the same source and thus
belonged to the same ‘language family.’ This suggested that languages shared
structural features and evolved over time from older forms to develop their own
distinct forms. A full-fledged science of language emerged after Swiss philologist
Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) provided a theoretical framework for studying
language as a system in his book, titled Cours de linguistique générale, which was
published posthumously from the notes taken by his students at the University of
Geneva.
Linguistic antopology

As implied from the quote above language and communication are key
components of the human experience. Language can be one of the easiest ways to
make connections with other people. It helps us quickly identify the groups to
which we belong. It is how we convey information from one generation to the
next. But language is only one way that humans communicate with one
another.Continue Reading Anthropology Notes On – Linguistic Anthropology –
For W.B.C.S. Examination.

Non-verbal forms of communication are as important if not more so. Linguistic

anthropology is the sub-discipline that studies communication systems, particularly
language. Using comparative analysis, linguistic anthropologists examine the
interaction of language and culture. They look at the connection between language
and thought and how it informs about social values and norms. Linguistic data has
been used to examine worldview, migration patterns, origins of peoples, etc.

According to Pier Paolo Giglioli in “Language and Social Context,”

anthropologists study the relation between worldviews, grammatical categories and
semantic fields, the influence of speech on socialization and personal relationships,
and the interaction of linguistic and social communities.

In this case, linguistic anthropology closely studies those societies where language
defines a culture or society. For example, in New Guinea, there is a tribe of
indigenous people who speak one language. It is what makes that people unique. It
is its “index” language. The tribe may speak other languages from New Guinea,
but this unique language gives the tribe its cultural identity.

Linguistic anthropologists may also take an interest in language as it relates to

socialization. It can be applied to infancy, childhood, or a foreigner being
enculturated. The anthropologist would likely study a society and the way that
language is used to socialize its young.

In terms of a language’s effect on the world, the rate of spread of a language and
its influence on a society or multiple societies is an important indicator that
anthropologists will study. For example, the use of English as an international
language can have wide-ranging implications for the world’s societies. This can be
compared to the effects of colonization or imperialism and the import of language
to various countries, islands, and continents all over the world.
Other fields similar to linguistic anthropology
Anthropological linguistics -A closely related field (some say, exactly the same
field), anthropological linguistics, investigates the relationship between language
and culture from the linguistics perspective. According to some, this is a branch of
linguistics.

This may differ from linguistic anthropology because linguists will focus more on
the way words are formed, for example, the phonology or vocalization of the
language to semantics and grammar systems.

For example, linguists pay close attention to “code-switching,” a phenomenon that

occurs when two or more languages are spoken in a region and the speaker
borrows or mix the languages in normal discourse. For example, when a person is
speaking a sentence in English but completes his or her thought in Spanish and the
listener understands and continues the conversation in a similar way.
Sociolinguistics- Very similarly, sociolinguistics, considered another subset of
linguistics, is the study of how people use language in different social situations.

Sociolinguistics includes the study of dialects across a given region and an analysis
of the way some people may speak to each other in certain situations, for example,
at a formal occasion, slang between friends and family, or the manner of speaking
that may change based on the gender roles. Additionally, historical sociolinguists
will examine language for shifts and changes that occur over time to a society. For
example, in English, a historical sociolinguistic will look at when “thou” shifted
and was replaced by the word “you” in the language timeline.

Conclusions
Linguistic anthropologists of education study language form, in use, as organized
by ideologies, as those ideologies move across social domains and come to identify
individuals. A linguistic anthropological approach is thus characterized by its
refusal to adopt simple accounts of educational processes and institutions. Instead
of studying either the referential or the social functions of language, linguistic
anthropologists study how speakers deploy both grammatical categories and social
indexicals to accomplish reference, social identification, and other functions.
Instead of emphasizing either institutions and power relations or events in which
social relations are constructed – or a simple combination of the two – linguistic
anthropological approaches show how both “macro” and “micro” are abstracted
from a continuum of potentially relevant resources that together constrain and
facilitate the functions of speech. By attending to form, use, ideology, and domain,
linguistic anthropologists provide a more complex picture of educational language
use.
Reference