Ethnolinguistics

Through understanding of the categories represented in a particular language, we can learn much about how members of that culture perceive, organize and deal with the world around them.

Together, the words a group of people use in their vocabulary form what linguists call a Lexicon. Lexicons can tell us about a culture, for example:

1. the sorts of EXPERIENCES members have;
2. how members organize and perceive SPACE;
3. how they comprehend TEMPORAL (over time) reality;
4. how they structure their SOCIAL LANDSCAPE; and
5. how differences in language use and structure can indicate the importance of different SOCIAL SITUATIONS, or the existence and degree of SOCIAL SEGMENTS. Lets look at each of these areas in turn.

Experimental Reality in Language

Suppose that tomorrow an ethnolinguist asked you what you did today, and you told him you went surfing. How might he or she interpret "surfing?" Click below on what you think the right interpretation is:

You were playing at the beach.

You were doing your homework.

The ethnolinguist's initial confusion would soon turn to curiosity, and he or she would soon find that technology is important in America. Indeed, we have a large vocabulary that refers to technology. The fact that almost everyone knows what a bit, a byte, a gigabyte, a hard-drive or CD-ROM are, would indicate to the ethnolinguist that Americans rely heavily on computers, and that almost everyone has some access to them.

In FACES OF CULTURE we saw how the Nuer of Sudan have more than 400 words to describe cattle. Each word indicates differences in color, size, body shape and the configuration of horns. Cattle are all important for the Nuer. They are pastoralists and depend on cattle for their survival. They use dung for heat and get milk from cows. If their crops fail they can eat beef. Even in drought herds can be moved to distant water sources. When a man marries he must provide the bride's family with cattle. This "bridewealth" at once legitimizes the marriage and cements an alliance between the families of the bride and the groom. The multiple terms Nuer have for cattle clues us in to their importance.

Exercise

How many words can you think or for cattle? What are they?

Exercise

In America we have hundreds of descriptive terms for automobiles. How many can you think of? What are they?

Could you define more words for cars than cattle? Why do you think this is so?