ANT102H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Arbitrariness
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ANT102H5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
These are all linguistic categories used to define a baby boy. They are only meaningful when compared to something else (i. e. white only means something when compared to something such as caucasian, black or asian) Arbitrariness: no essential difference between word & object (i. e. arbitrariness of language) All words we hear make sense based on comparison with other things/ideas/words. Language itself is variable (there is no fixed content but always changing) When you say hello to someone, you expect some kind of common cultural existence of humanity and share something common with them assuming a shared reality exists. All language locates us into categories (nation, continent, time (objective), gender) Class, race and ethnicity is saturated in language. We debate the essence of these categories (nation, time, gender, etc. ) Babies make linguistic associations before they are even born and they try to impose patterns on what they hear.
