Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology

363 Pages·2016·22.12 MB·English

by  Laura M. Ahearn

PRIMERS IN ANTHROPOLOGY
Living
Language
An Introduction to
Linguistic Anthropology
Laura M. Ahearn
WILEY-BLACKWELL
Living Language
Blackwell Primers in Anthropology
Each volume in this series is a lively first look at a traditional area of
anthropological study. These concise books provide theoretically
sophisticated yet accessible and engaging introductions for nonspe­
cialists. They will be invaluable for undergraduate instruction as well
as offering pithy overviews to those unfamiliar with the primary issues
in the chosen subdiscipline.
Published
1. People and Nature: An Introduction to Human Ecological Relations by
Emilio F. Moran
2. Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology by Laura
M. Ahearn
Living Language
An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
Laura M. Ahearn
©WILEY-BLACKWELL
A John Wiley &. Sons, Ltd., Publication
This edition first published 2012
© 2012 Laura M.Ahearn
Blackwell Publishing was acquired by John Wiley & Sons in February 2007. Blackwells publishing
program has been merged with Wileys global Scientific,Technical, and Medical business to form
Wiley-Blackwell.
Registered Office
John Wiley & Sons Ltd,The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, P019 8SQ,
United Kingdom
Editorial Offices
350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA
9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK
The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, P019 8SQ, UK
For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how
to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at
www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.
The right of Laura M.Ahearn to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in
accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the
prior permission of the publisher.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in
print may not be available in electronic books.
Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks.
All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any
product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and
authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding
that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other
expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging-iti-Publication Data
Ahearn, Laura M., 1962-
Living language : an introduction to linguistic anthropology / by Laura M.Ahearn.
p. cm. — (Blackwell primers in anthropology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4051-2440-9 (hardback) - ISBN 978-1-4051-2441-6 (paperback)
1. Anthropological linguistics. 2. Language and culture. I. Title. II. Series.
P35.A38 2011
306.44-dc22
2010049292
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This book is published in the following electronic formats: ePDFs 9781444340532; Wiley Online
Library 9781444340563; ePub 9781444340549
Set in 11.5/13.5 Bembo by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India
Printed in Singapore by Ho Printing Singapore Pte Ltd
3 2012
For Mellie,
whose words and smiles
have brought me indescribable
Contents
List of Figures vin
List of Tables X
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvi
Part 1 Language: Some Basic Questions 1
1 The Socially Charged Life of Language 3
2 The Research Process in Linguistic Anthropology 31
3 Language Acquisition and Socialization 50
4 Language, Thought, and Culture 65
Part II Communities of Speakers, Hearers, Readers, and Writers 99
5 Communities of Language Users 101
6 Multilingualism and Globalization 119
7 Literacy Practices 140
8 Performance, Performativity, and the Constitution
of Communities 160
Part III Language, Power, and Social Differentiation 185
9 Language and Gender 187
10 Language, Race, and Ethnicity 214
11 Language Death and Revitalization 240
12 Conclusion: Language, Power, and Agency 259
Notes 292
References 307
Index 336
Figures
1.1 Cartoon demonstrating how certain styles of speech
can both reflect and shape social identities
1.2 Khim Prasad during the Pounded Rice Ritual, with
the bride, Indrani Kumari, and the bridal attendant
1.3 Cartoon about the varying cultural meanings
associated with language use
1.4 Jakobson’s model of the multifunctionality of language
1.5 Cartoon playing off the language ideology that
considers French a romantic language
1.6 Semiosis as a relation between relations
3.1 The cultural concepts of hed and save in Gapun,
Papua New Guinea
4.1 Relationship between language and thought
according to the (mistaken) “strong” version
of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
4.2 Relationship among language, thought,
and culture according to contemporary
understandings of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
within linguistic anthropology
4.3 Another of the many representations in popular
culture of the “Eskimo words for snow” myth
4.4 Set-up for experiment involving coordinate systems
5.1 De Saussure’s “linguistic community”
5.2 Santa Ana and Parodi s model of nested
speech-community configurations
List of Figures ix
5.3 Strong, multiplex, high-density network with
individual “X” at center 114
5.4 Weak, uniplex, low-density network with
individual “X” at center 114
6.1 Peter Auer’s continuum of codeswitching,
language mixing, and fused lects 133
7.1 Nepali love letter (with all identifying
features removed) 152
8.1 Spatial configuration at August 1990 Tij songfest
in Junigau 181
9.1 Cartoon referring to author Deborah Tannen’s
ability to understand gendered language 196
9.2 Cartoon showing how certain linguistic forms
can index social identities 212
10.1 Political cartoon that appeared in the wake
of the Ebonics controversy 231
11.1 Cartoon depicting normal and inevitable
changes in a language over time 253
12.1 Doxa as that which is taken for granted
and therefore outside the universe of discourse 269
Tables
4.1 English pronouns in the nominative case 81
4.2 Nepali pronouns in thejunigau dialect 82
4.3 Noun classes in Swahili 83
4.4 Spatial categorizing in English and Korean 90
5.1 Santa Ana and Parodi s typology of
speech-community configurations 109
7.1 ‘Be + like as a percentage of total quotatives
in face-to-face and IM talk 155
9.1 Findings of Hyde’s meta-analyses regarding
gender differences in communicative behavior 198
11.1 Ten most commonly spoken languages in the world 244