Essays In The History Of Linguistic Anthropology

Anthropology and linguistics, as historically developing disciplines, have had partly separate roots and traditions. In particular settings and in general, the two disciplines have partly shared, partly differed in the nature of their materials, their favorite types of problem the personalities of their dominant figures, their relations with other disciplines and intellectual current. The two disciplines have also varied in their interrelation with each other and the society about them. Institutional arrangements have reflected the varying degrees of kinship, kithship, and separation. Such relationships themselves form a topic that is central to a history of linguistic anthropology yet marginal to a self-contained history of linguistics or anthropology as either would be conceived by most authors. There exists not only a subject matter for a history of linguistic anthropology, but also a definite need.

Compiled in honor and celebration of veteran anthropologist Harold C. Fleming, this book contains 23 articles by anthropologists (in the general sense) from the four main disciplines of prehistory: archaeology, biogenetics, paleoanthropology, and genetic (historical) linguistics. Because of Professor Fleming’s major focus on language — he founded the Association for the Study of Language in Prehistory and the journal Mother Tongue — the content of the book is heavily tilted toward the study of human language, its origins, historical development, and taxonomy. Because of Fleming’s extensive field experience in Africa some of the articles deal with African topics. This volume is intended to exemplify the principle, in the words of Fleming himself, that each of the four disciplines is enriched when it combines with any one of the other four. The authors are representative of the cutting edge of their respective fields, and this book is unusual in including contributions from a wide range of anthropological fields rather than concentrating in any one of them.

"For sheer brilliance Edward Sapir is unsurpassed by any American anthropologist, living or dead."—Cylde Kluckhohn, Harvard University

First Published in 1993. From the 1930s, British anthropology was dominated by social anthropologists, an achievement of the two founding fathers, Bronislaw Malinowski and A.R. Radcliffe-Brown. However, the field of ethnology had originated in Britain in the 1840s and a broadly based general anthropology was well established before the rise of social anthropology. The essays in this volume explore the development of British anthropology in the period from 1880 to 1920 and deal with such diverse issues as the establishment of new research methodologies, the development of ethnographic reporting, institutional change and the professionalization of the subject, and the connection between anthropology and imperialism. These essays reveal how the establishment of social anthropology involved a narrowing field which at first involved not just the study of custom but also included archaeology, physical anthropology and philology. The emergence of the new approaches of the 1920s and 1930s, and the triumph of social anthropology as an academic, intellectual and professional discipline in post-war Britain also led to the subsequent loss of a more holistic vision of anthropology.

"An accessible and engaging overview of anthropological theory that provides a comprehensive history from antiquity through to the twenty-first century. The fifth edition has been revised throughout, with substantial updates to the Feminism and Anthropology section, including more on Gender and Sexuality, and with a new section on Anthropologies of the Digital Age. Once again, A History of Anthropological Theory will be published simultaneously with the accompanying reader, mirroring these changes in the selection of readings, so they can easily be used together in the classroom. Additional biographical information about some of theorists has been added to help students."--

This overview of the history of anthropological theory provides a comprehensive history from antiquity through to the twenty-first century, with a focus on the twentieth century and beyond. Unlike other volumes, it also offers a four-field introduction to theory. As a stand-alone text, or used in conjunction with the companion volume Readings for a History of Anthropological Theory, Erickson and Murphy offer a comprehensive, affordable, and contemporary introduction to anthropological theory. The third edition has been updated and fully revised throughout to closely parallel the presentation in the companion reader, making it easier to use both books in tandem. New original essays by contemporary theorists bring theories to life, and portraits of important theorists make it a handsome volume. Sources and suggested readings have been updated, and glossary definitions have been updated, streamlined, and standardized.

Linguistic Anthropology theme is a component of Encyclopedia of Social Sciences and Humanities in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. Linguistic anthropology is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to the study of language from an anthropological perspective. This means that, over the years, linguistic anthropologists have regarded language as a sophisticated sign system that contributes to the constitution of society and the reproduction of specific cultural practices. In addition to being a powerful tool for exchanging information, language has been shown to play a crucial role in the classification of experience, the identification of people, things, ideas, and emotions, the recounting of the past and the imagining of the future that is so critical for joint activities and problem solving. The Theme on Linguistic Anthropology discusses essential aspects such as History of Linguistic Anthropology; Language Socialization; Languages in Contact; Comparative and Historical Linguistics; Language and Culture; Social Use of Language (Sociolinguistics); Language and Gender; Multilingualism and Language Planning; Language and Education; Non-Human Primates and Communication; Ape Language Studies; Language, Cognition and Thought; Language Shift and Maintenance; Gesture as Cultural and Linguistic Practice; Linguistic Relativity and Spatial Language; Documenting Endangered Languages and Maintaining Language Diversity. This volume is aimed at the following five major target audiences: University and College Students Educators, Professional Practitioners, Research Personnel and Policy Analysts, Managers, and Decision Makers, NGOs and GOs.