Anthropology Terms

 linguistics  click this icon to hear the preceding term pronounced

the comparative study of the function, structure, and history of languages and the communication process in general.  Linguistics is also referred to as linguistic anthropology.



  • There are different branches of linguistics, An example of one would be Syntax. This is the study of sentence structure and formation in different languages. English sentence structure goes by subject, verb then objects, but this is different to Japanese which goes by subject-object then verb. 

  • An example of linguistics would be the etymology of a word. Like for the word God it comes from Old English, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch god and German Gott. Without linguistics, we would not know this information. 


Ethnocentrism

the deep-felt belief or feeling that your culture is superior to all others.  Being fond of your own way of life and condescending or even hostile toward other cultures is normal for all people.  Alien culture traits are often viewed as being not just different but less sensible and even "unnatural."  This results in the interpretation of other people in terms of one's own cultural values and traditions. An example is people from monogamous societies condemning polygamy as being "unnatural" and immoral.  Ethnocentrism is universal and normal but not necessarily morally defensible or desirable because it prevents understanding other cultures. It also interferes with meaningful intercultural communication. See cultural relativity. 


  • An example would be keesing in the story we just read. He believed their culture was ‘unnatural’ because they ate dolphins. He would never leave his own culture to join theirs because his seemed better. 

  • Another example would be the KKK. This white supremacist group thinks they are superior to all other races specifically Black Americans, so they use fear and terror to spread hate. 

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