ANT253H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Buddhist Meditation, Phatic Expression, Charles F. Hockett
January 10th, 2017
ANT253 Lecture #1: WHAT IS LANGUAGE
What is Language?
- SOCIO-LINGUISTICS: the study of language as an intrinsic part of social systems
- LINGUISTICS: the study of thought and speech
- LEXICON: collection of meaning-bearing forms, the potential stock of all lexemes in a language
o Key to understanding social systems, both their origins and their current constitution
- Way of communication
- De-centre language
o Bring back images, disconnected
o Cubist movement
o Movement of expressionism was based on anti-linguistic
- Buddhist meditation is another way of saying let me get rid of language
- PANINI: described the Sanskrit language, how grammar and vocabulary mirror social systems
o A form of understanding called epistemology
o Man named panini was also a mathematician
o Looked at the pronunciation of words, which led to the study of modern-day sound
systems (world views, belief systems, modern interactions)
o Took a poem: the way we understand them is how bits and pieces come together
o What are the rules of putting things together?
o Incompletely In - complete – ly (“complete” is part of the meaning-bearing forms,
called the “lexicon”)
▪ in and ly are grammar
▪ Taught by Panini
- LOGOS: Greek word that means both “word” and “reason or mind”, faculty united thought and
speech
- Language allows us to refer to objects, states, and events in the world with sound clusters
o Thinking of things like the meaning of existence, the reason why someone did something
▪ Rather than reacting, we are thinking (evolutionary achievement)
- Each language is used to solve universal problems of knowledge and of social organization
- LANGUAGE ATTRITION: reduction, weakening or loss of a first, second, third, or more
language in an individual, person or in a community
o Language is dying
o Biosphere put at risk when speeches die
o If languages die, we are shrinking our cultural sphere
o We are the lesser for it
o Pipe dream: everyone will learn English
- Group formations
- LANGUAGE FAMILIES: groups of languages related to each other historically, the
classification of language
o The language you speak was part of a larger community of languages which broke up
from it and developed different characteristics
o Ex// Latin roots — French, Italian, Spanish
o ‘sister languages’ =
o Understand the DIASPORA
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Socio-linguistics: the study of language as an intrinsic part of social systems. Linguistics: the study of thought and speech. Lexicon: collection of meaning-bearing forms, the potential stock of all lexemes in a language: key to understanding social systems, both their origins and their current constitution. De-centre language: bring back images, disconnected, cubist movement, movement of expressionism was based on anti-linguistic. Buddhist meditation is another way of saying let me get rid of language. Incompletely in - complete ly ( complete is part of the meaning-bearing forms, called the lexicon ) in and ly are grammar: taught by panini. Logos: greek word that means both word and reason or mind , faculty united thought and speech. Each language is used to solve universal problems of knowledge and of social organization. If languages die, we are shrinking our cultural sphere. Sister languages" : understand the diaspora, no culture without language.
