Nonverbal Communication
- first form of communication you learn (enculturation by observation)
- a form of communication that you use constantly in everyday life
Kinesics
- body movements, postures, expressions, & gestures as forms of communication
Proxemics
- space & distance as a mode of communication
- personal space varies cross-culturally, varies by context, can expand or contract
- Norms taught across & through generations –through everyday observation
Linguistic Relativity
people speaking different languages perceive or interpret the world differently because of differences in their languages
Focal Vocabulary
specialized sets of terms & distinctions that are particularly important to certain groups (professional chef’s words for knives, Mongol terms for horse, Inuit terms for snow)
Language & Identity
the language we speak–& how we speak it–is important to our sense of self & is one way we express group membership (identity)
- the way we speak ties us to a particular community, place, & set of traditions
Sociolinguistics
the study of the relationships between social variations (ethnicity, status, gender) & linguistic variations (dialect, slang, tone)
Code switching
when individuals switch language, dialect usage, or speech style according to the social context
EX: AAVE (African-American Vernacular English): a distinct dialect of english with its own phonological rules & syntax
Sociolinguistic discrimination
using linguistics features as a evaluator of competence
- ppl make assumptions about intelligence & other characteristics based on “linguistic stereotypes”
- ppl treat others according to judgements made on the basis of linguistic patterns
Adulting
- ” the practice of behaving in a way characteristics of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks”
- social maturity linked to work & career
Performative Speech Acts
- a change in status is effected via an utterance
- direct & immediate relationship between the utterance & effect providing all social & linguistic conventions are met
- if conventions are not met, the transformation in status may not actually occur
- EX: - A judge saying “Guilty”
- A minister saying “I pronounce you husband & wife
Economic anthropology
- the sub-discipline concerned with how ppl make, share, & buy things & services
- basic tenet: all economic activities are shaped by social hierarchies & relationships
Formalist Position
Premise: there are universal rules that explain economic behavior
Substantivist Position
- economic activities are embedded in social institutions & cultural practices
- economic activity is not governed everywhere by the same logic of “rationality choice”
Marxist Perspective
- division of labor creates inequality & conflict
- focus on power, domination, & unequal distribution of wealth
Formalist
by competition between buyers & sellers
Substanivist
by cultures & social institution
Marxist
by exploitation of labor (class & power)
Generalized Reciprocity
- giving something without the expectation of an immediate return
- uninhibited & generous giving such as between parents & children, spouses, close kin
- Giving = expression of personal relationship
Markers for Social Adulthood (Hill Research)
- Respectable career
- Good income
- House owner
- Marriage & kids
Baisso
- case study of Western Apacne storytelling demonstrates the importance of language & culture
Sociolinguistic Discrimination
ppl make assumptions & treat others based on “linguistic stereotypes”
- EX: PSA of man looking for an apartment to rent
Utility
measure of usefulness that consumer obtains from a good ( can be enjoyment, security, health benefit)
Sahlins
- scarcity is between what you want & what you have
- compares findings from archeological & ethnographic research to examine lives of foragers
- foragers never wanted more things to begin with–have enough stuff to provide basic needs
- argued against formalist position
