Anthropological Linguistics

Catalog description

An introduction to the science of linguistics, with an emphasis on the social and cultural aspects of language. Topics to be considered are: 1) language and human nature; 2) linguistic and non-linguistic forms of communication; 3) literate and oral cultures; 4) the basic components of language (phonology, morphology, syntax); 5) meaning in language and speech; 6) socio- linguistics (class, race, gender); and 7) the relationship between language and cultural knowledge systems, especially those of non-western cultures. The instructor will dram from linguistic and cultural materials that she has collected in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. We also read an in-depth study of the social and cultural contexts of language usage in a Muslim Bedouin society of North America. Fulfills Core Requirements: Diversity (DIV) and Cultural Elective (CE).