Language and Communication

Language and
Communication
Part 1
Learning Objectives for Language and
Communication Unit
 1. Identify key structures of language
 2. Identify what focal vocabularies are and why they
exist
 3. Discriminate between the different forms of nonverbal communication
 4. Discriminate between the early ideas of Sapir-Whoft
hypothesis and the modern viewpoint.
 5. Identify the differences between non-human primate
communication & human language.
 6. Identify how historical linguistics relates to
anthropology.
 7. Analyze the impact of colonization as well as
globalization on indigenous languages.
Language and the Human Species
Language: ______________________
Importance of language for human life
1. only ___________capable of speech
2. avenue of communication & thought
concerning ___________________, and
___________ persons, places, things, actions, &
events
3. _____________________aided by language
Linguistic Anthropology
Focus on language
social and cultural context
Generally interested in how language
can influence
Comparisons
Worldview
Patterns of thought
Multilingualism
World economy
Origin of Language
When did language first appear in
human evolution?
What evidence can anthropologists
use to test hypotheses on the origin of
language?
_______________
________________________
Origin of Language
FOXP2 and the Evolution of Language
FOXP2
Gene _____________________________
Based on genetic research, the FOXP2
gene is believed to have appear around
_______________________
______________________________________
Linguistic & cultural abilities
Sequencing of the __________________shows
that this species had FOXP2
FOXP2 and the Evolution of Language
FOXP2 and the Evolution of Language
Non-Verbal Communication
_________________
______________________of bodily
movements, facial expressions,
and spatial relationships
___________________ can occur, if
the understanding is not shared
Touching
Space usage
Nonverbal Communication
1. Kinesics: _______________________
____________________________
_______________________
Emotional states
Different meanings in different
circumstances
__________________________
Convey feelings and/or messages
via touching another person
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal Communication
2. Proxemics
Study of how people in _____________
_________________________________
____________________
Meaning conveyed by _________
____________________
Nonverbal Communication
Properties of Language
1. Productivity
Speaker’s ability to create
totally ______________________
______________________________
A language’s
________________________ can be
combined into a infinite number
of meaningful sentences
Properties of Language
2. Displacement
Our ability to talk about objects,
people, things, and events that
are __________________________
Due to usage of symbols to
transmit meanings
Structure of Language: Terms
Phonology
_____________________________
Present & significant in language
Morphology
_________________________________
Structure of Language: Terms
 Lexicon
Dictionary concerning all
________________
Organized around __________________
 Lexeme
Minimal unit of language
_______________________
______________________
Structure of Language: Terms
Syntax
__________________________________________
 ‘Appreciating Anthropology’ page 116
We will talk about this study later in lecture
Semantics
___________________________________
Ethnosemantics: ________________________
Structure of Language: Terms
 Phonetics
Study of ________________________
What people actually say
 Phonemics
Study of _________________in a language
Phonemes
_________________________________
Phonetic range – ________________
Language, Thought, and Culture
Noam Chomsky
Set of rules ______________________________
Human brain contains a limited set of rules for
organizing language
 All Languages = ______________________
Language, Thought, and Culture
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Idea that different languages produce
________________________________
English & Hopi languages
Language, Thought, and Culture
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, continued
Initial ideas centered on ‘all thoughts being
constrained, or determined, by language’
Various studies have disproved this area of
the hypothesis – language does not
determine thought
Studies have also shown that language does
have an influence on thought
ways in which we see the world may be
influenced by the kind of language we
use
Focal Vocabulary
 Lexicon – influence on perception
Focal Vocabulary
_____________________________________
 Examples:
1
2
Language and Communication
What is the difference between
language and communication?
Communication: ___________________
___________________________________
If language is unique to the human
species, how do other species
communication?
Communication Among NonHuman Primates
Communication can
______________:
submission,
reassurance,
aggression, etc.
Communication
can include:
_______________
__________________
________________
Howler Monkey (male):
loudest land animals and the
second loudest of all animals
Communication Among NonHuman Primates
Primates don’t
___________
Parts of calls are not
___________ to get
new information
Their calls are
_____________
Proboscis monkey
calling

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