ANT206H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Practice Theory, Indexicality, Language Ideology
Document Summary
Chapter 1 the socially charged life of language. Language is a set of socially embedded practices. In losing a language in papua new guinea, the taiap speakers said the reason their language is becoming extinct is because their children are too big-headed to learn them. Essence of language cannot be understood without reference to the particular social contexts in which it is used. Language should be studied as a cultural practice rather than a mode of thinking. In order to acquire a comprehensive understanding of language, it must be studied in real-life contexts. Grammar, according to linguistic anthropologists, is just one part of language"s socially charged life. Langue: the language system in the abstract and parole: everyday speech. Chomsky and saussure believe the abstract knowledge of a language system is of primary interest for the science of language rather than the parole.
