Anthropology: D2: Linguistic Anthropology

Introduction to linguistic anthropology, focusing on language and communication as they pertain to human culture and human social interaction.

CDE students only even after level restrictions removed; Degree students enroll in ANTH 028 A

Linguistic anthropology studies the diverse ways language is used and understood during everyday life. In this introduction to the field, you will learn some ways to do this research yourself (for example, analyze conversations and gestures), as well as what linguistic anthropologists have already discovered about language and language use around the world. The beginning of the course centers on how language as a system of signs makes culture and society possible––that is, we review the building blocks of language and how they vary across the world’s languages. The rest of the course focuses on how humans use these building blocks to live their lives in meaningful ways. We explore the dynamics of everyday conversations, the artful uses of language in performance, and aspects of power such as the politics of gender, racial and linguistic identity, and social status. Although most of the readings are drawn from anthropology, we will also venture into closely related areas in linguistics, sociology, philosophy, and psychology. This course does not assume any background in linguistics or anthropology, but by its conclusion, you will be deeply familiar with how to study the diversity of the world’s languages, as well as the diverse ways people use language as a tool for social action.