Learning Objectives

This chapter introduces students to the study of linguistics. It discusses the differences between animal and human communication, the basic categories and definitions used to study language, and the many ways in which language, culture, and social action intersect.

I.

You should be able to identify the key differences between animal call systems and human language.

II.

You need to know what capacities for symbolic manipulation apes have exhibited through the use of sign language.

III.

You need to know the adaptive advantages of language.

IV.

You should be familiar with nonverbal forms of communication like gestures, expressions, and movements.

V.

You need to be able to identify the key structures of language.

VI.

You must be familiar with the central argument of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and what researchers think of it today.

VII.

You need to know what focal vocabularies are and why they exist.

VIII.

You need to know how linguistic anthropologists study meaning and how they use ethnosemantics to study native classification systems.

IX.

You must know what sociolinguists study. In particular, you must be familiar with gender speech patterns and how social stratification manifests itself in language.

X.

You must know what B.E.V. is and how it compares to S.E. In addition, you need to be familiar with the debate regarding B.E.V. and public school systems.

XI.

You should know what historical linguists study and how it relates to anthropology.

XII.

You need to know how cyberspace both links the world and restricts access to its resources.

2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of The McGraw-Hill Companies.