Linguistic Anthropology

Linguistic anthropology studies language as a cultural and social resource — how language shapes and is shaped by social life and worldview.

Scope

It covers language and culture, linguistic relativity, the ethnography of communication, and language, identity, and power.

Core questions

• How does language relate to culture and thought?
• How is language used in social life?
• How does language encode identity and power?
• How do speech communities differ?

Key concepts

• Linguistic relativity
• Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
• Ethnography of communication
• Speech community
• Language and identity

Key theories

Linguistic relativity

Sapir and Whorf proposed that language shapes habitual thought and worldview.

Ethnography of communication

Hymes developed the study of language use within its cultural and social context.

History

Rooted in Boasian linguistics (Sapir), linguistic anthropology developed the relativity hypothesis (Whorf) and the ethnography of communication (Hymes), and now studies language ideology, socialization, and power.

Debates

How strongly does language shape thought?

Strong versus weak versions of linguistic relativity remain debated.

Key figures

• Edward Sapir
• Benjamin Lee Whorf
• Dell Hymes

Seminal works

• sapir-1921
• whorf-1956
• hymes-1974

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis?

The proposal that the language one speaks influences how one perceives and thinks about the world.