Introduction
The most distinctive characteristic of humans is their ability to communicate. Humans aren’t alone in using symbolic language. Research has shown that sounds and gestures that other animals make including apes could have functions similar to the human voice however, no animal has created a system of symbolic communication like the one developed by humans.
The anthropology field which studies human languages is known as Linguistic Anthropology.
Language is a way for people to preserve their culture and transmit it across generations. Through studying the language and its context Anthropologists can discover the way people see their own world and how they perceive the environment around them. Anthropological language studies can contribute significantly to understanding human behaviour. Linguistic Anthropology seeks to uncover how languages differ from each other. Linguistic anthropologists research the origin, character as well as the evolution of different languages with respect to culture, and the ways of speaking, ways of behaviour, behaviour and communicating across different cultures. The areas of linguistic anthropology are social linguistics, structural theology and historical theology of linguistics.
Definition and the scope of Linguistic Anthropology Optional
The term the term linguistic anthropology and the variant anthropological theology are commonly used in many different ways. Linguistic Anthropology is one of the branches of anthropology that focuses on the study of the language in relation to biological and cultural aspects of the human. It studies how language is structured, the use it makes its origin, development, and classification with respect to various cultural contexts. Linguistic Anthropologists study language as an integral component of society since it is the principal means of social communication and interaction. Without it, the main institution of social life (the family as well as the law, economy, and the polity) can’t operate within any social system. Language is also a crucial means of socialization.
Linguistic Anthropology and Linguistics
In terms of methodological approach Linguistic anthropologists use ethnographic methods of long-term observation of participants through fieldwork and the utilization of audio and video recording technology. By using this method, linguistic analysts can examine the ways in which language and other forms of human communication are connected to the culture. The study of linguistic anthropology also examines how other language systems are a reflection of power relations ideologies gender, class, and ethnicity. According to Dell Hathaway Hymes, a prominent American sociologist of the linguistic anthropology, said that linguistic anthropology was “the study of language and speech within the framework of anthropology” (1963 277). To summarize it, linguistic anthropology can be described to be an investigation into language’s role as a resource as well as speaking as a way of life.
On the other side, Linguistics studies the nature, development, and classification of languages. Linguists typically focus on written languages, and are interested in the description of various languages and dividing them into various language families and subfamilies in order to comprehend what similarities and distinctions exist between various languages. In the 19th century, the primary focus of the study was classical languages. This area of study was referred to as Philology.
Although Linguistics and Linguistic Anthropology have a lot that are similar, Linguistic anthropology differs in numerous other aspects. Linguistic Anthropology studies languages from an anthropological view. For this, it employs a distinct anthropological method. It examines the development, origin in the development, evolution and classifying of the languages with respect to various aspects of the culture. However, it studies languages as a languages ‘per se’ as well as a means of communication. It studies the development, origins as well as the development and classification for language using abstract concepts without focusing on the culture. Furthermore, Ethics Integrity and Aptitude assigns the little importance to anthropological techniques.
Basics of Linguistic Anthropology
The most distinctive characteristic of humans is their ability to communicate. Humans are not the only species to make their use of symbolism in communication. Research has shown that sounds and gestures produced by other animals including apes could have functions similar to the human voice but no other animal has created a system of symbolic communication that is as intricate as humans.
Linguistic Anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that focuses on the study of language and its relationship to biological and human culture. It studies what makes language unique, the use it makes in its origin, development, and classification with respect to particular cultural contexts. This is why the part of anthropology which studies human languages is known as Linguistic Anthropology.
Linguistic Anthropologists analyse the language as an integral part of society since it is the main means for social communication and interaction without which the main institution of social life (the family as well as the law, economy and the polity) can’t operate within any social system. It is also an essential means.
