Posted: May 18th, 2015

Anthropology – short answer to questions

Please answer the following questions from the workbook/reader. (2 question per page)
1-Chapter 4 – L4.1 – L4.8.
2-Chapter 5 – D5.1 and D5.6
3-Chapter 6 – D6.2 and D6.3.
4-Chapter 7 – D7.1.
5-Chapter 8 – D8.2.

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To access the workbook/reader please go to coursesmart . com and log in using my account that i have created specifically for this order – USER: khaled.t @ me. com PASSWORD: garfield1234 .click on The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology Workbook/Reader, 3rd Edition. At the end of each chapter you will find the questions. You can also access the textbook (not the workbook/reader) to help with your answers. please feel free to call or email to ask questions if you are unclear. I will give you an example I wrote for previous questions i answered – please follow the format and way of writing, i am giving the example to make it clearer and easier for you. I cannot extend the deadline. thank you, Here is the example —

“”D1.1 Read William E. Mitchell’s “A Goy in the Ghetto”. Write a short summary of the article focusing on how he describes his fieled work experiences and the adjustments in communicative style that he needed to make in each setting.
A Goy in the Ghetto is an article that reveals some of the communication problems that infield researchers go through. It urges people to adopt various communication registers depending on the context because various people have different beliefs and practices. Moreover, the article urges researchers to adopt the practices of the area where they go to conduct research. Additionally, they ought to behave in a socially acceptable manner regardless of the physical location. The article is reflective in that the author reveals her own experience as a freelance anthropologist. The article lays much emphasis on the importance of language skills especially in a situation where they have to seek for information from people of different cultural beliefs. The article reveals her experience as a Gentile among the Jewish community. She urges people to seek for advice if they are not sure of what to expect in a different region.
The article is an invaluable advice to people travelling for interactive sessions in different areas. It urges them to redefine their communication techniques to help the suit in the particular social context for purposes of comprehension and exchange. The author emphasizes on a good relationship in a communicative situation to foster understanding. The article is a complete analysis of the linguistic tenets that facilitate collection of data from a culturally diverse region. The author encourages people interested in acquiring a particular language to intermingle with the native speakers to help them understand their social cultural practices to help them fit in the environment and relate well with them. The author suggests that the language relatively differs from one region to another alongside its arbitrary procedures. Therefore, knowledge of one language is not a guarantee that one understands or can use another language with ease. Moreover, one cannot make predictions of the rules of another language and how they are likely to change if they do not understand its morphology and lexicon. Mitchell argues that language is an important cultural aspect because it has a direct relationship to the culture of the people. Therefore, one acquires a language as a cultural practice or through learning or social interaction because there is no biological attachment to a particular language. Hence, the vocabulary of a language reflects the environment and the beliefs of the inhabitants.
D1.4. Describe one way in which an understanding of language structure or context might contribute to your own major field of study.
Understanding of the language structure and context is useful in learning and research process. For a field researcher, knowledge of language structure helps them restructure their research inquiries and plan how to relate with the people to encourage them give reliable information for analysis. Moreover, understanding of the context helps them organize their conversation in a manner that is ethical and socially acceptable among the target group to avoid misunderstanding and suspicion. Poor knowledge of the immediate context can lead to a breakdown for communication or even rejection especially when one is making sensitive inquiries. Lack of understanding of the context can lead to a complete breakdown of communication. Hence, understanding the structure of language that one uses during research enables them reduce cases of ambiguity and incomplete messages. Ambiguity is one of the issues that affect modern communication. When a piece of speech is ambiguous, it may have more than one meaning; thus, leading to misinterpretation and probably a wrong response from the second party. Moreover, ambiguity may lead to misunderstanding because there are cases where the recipient does not comprehend anything.
It is difficult to explain or practice a concept that one does not understand its contents. They may end up giving information to the wrong group of people. Similarly, the chances of misinterpretation are quite high. In an unfortunate case where one is dealing with a sensitive procedure or information, chances of an accident/ leakage of the information to the wrong party are proportionately high. Knowledge of the concept is important because it helps the speaker identify the audience and determine whether they are speaking to the right group of people. Every field of study becomes more effective if the learner understands the language dynamics that govern communication and dissemination of information. Moreover, every discipline has its register that guides the communication process. For instance, the medical field has its own distinct register that differs significantly from the legal arena and vice versa. Therefore, knowledge of register enables one to communicate effectively and use the right terms when addressing people or when answering a question. It is unlikely for someone to use a legal register in a church and still get a proper response. The congregation may not only misunderstand but also feel that the speaker has gone out of topic. Linguists believe that the nature of the message depends on the target audience and the purpose of communication. Knowledge of the language structure alongside proper context helps in good communication and allows parties to respond, participate and make inquiries in time.
When demonstrating a field of study and the speaker demonstrates proper understanding of the concept; their information is likely to engage the audience and vice versa. When one understands the immediate environment and responds to its demands appropriately, they are likely to win the acceptance of the audience without much ado. Cases of speakers facing rejection due to poor understanding of the context are not rare. Such speakers bore the audience and many of them disengage themselves from the discussion.
D2.1: Read Conklin’s “Hanunoo Color Categories”. Write a short summary of the article, focusing on how Conklin used ethno semantic analysis to reveal the underlying structure of the Hanunoo color naming system. Be prepared to discuss your summary with your classmates.
Conklin’s “Hanunoo Color Categories” is an article that describes the Hanunoo color division. Hanunoo is a distinct language spoken by the Mangyan people who live in Philippine’s Mindoro Island. The article describes the Hanunoo language as being morphologically complex complete with four distinct levels. The terms that describe the levels include the Malatuy that represents the green color and Mabiru which represents the black (dark) color. Others levels are the Marara to mean red and Malagti for white. Of all the categories, Mabiru is the biggest and Malatry is the smallest. The article reveals why linguistic attributes are vocal in the color classification. Conklin describes the colors depending on the environment. The author’s analysis of the Hanunoo Color Categories indicates that color related vocabulary contributes to the classification and definition of color. Therefore, Conklin suggests that color related terms are imperative in the interpretation of a language’s lexical structures. Moreover, such terms help in determining the correlation between their applicability in an intra cultural arena.
The article suggests that one’s native language generates lexical structures that influences the way they perceive the globe. The article’s argument is a modification of the hypothesis proposed by the linguist; Sapir-Whorf. Conklin argues that lexicology accommodates all the variabilities regardless of the consistencies that exist. The article ends by suggesting that there are particular inferences regarding an object that may not be color related. Therefore, it denounces the belief that the western color is a recognized throughout the globe. It argues that the linguistic comprehension of color differs from the cultural perceptions as classified by the language’s structural patterns. The article emphasizes on the fact that a language’s pragmatics is dependent on the people’s cultural practices and beliefs.
D2.3. What does Conklin’s article suggest about the relationship of Hanunoo culture to the plant world?
Conklin’s article “ Hanunoo Color Categories” relates the Hanunoo culture to the plant world in that some of the vocabularies found in the language varieties derive their lexicon from the plants in the environment. The author expounds more on the essence of ethnoecology and its relationship to the cultural perception of language. From an anthropological point of view, the component of the environment determines the vocabulary in a particular language. Therefore, the plants in a particular region influence the vocabulary of the language. Therefore, it is possible to find strange terms that are not found elsewhere due to availability of rare indigenous plants that are only available in a certain locality. Moreover, ecological vocabulary may vary especially in native language depending on the pragmatics.
It is a common phenomenon in many regions for people to refer some of the items in their language using words that relate directly to the plants in the area. For instance, an area with much agricultural practice is likely to contain vocabulary that is close to the vegetation and vice versa. Such a situation is common because the environment determines the people’s sources of livelihood and culture. Language, being a culturally determined aspect explains why the natural environment has too much vocabulary to offer. Therefore, the ‘Hanunoo Color Categories’ is much of a linguistic orientation of a language and emphasizes why it is one of the aspects of culture that unites a community. The plant world gains relevance in the article because the author believes that people cannot detach the natural environment from their lives because it contributes significantly to their wellbeing. The plant world as the author illuminates it helps support life’s ecosystem through food chain. Therefore, the areas language cannot be devoid of vocabularies to denote its greatness.”‘