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Document Summary
Language is not a neutral medium for communication but rather a set of socially embedded practices. Every social interaction is mediated by language- whether spoken or written, verbal or non verbal. Linguistic anthropologists therefore maintain that the essence of language cannot be understood without reference to the particular social context in which it is used. Language is largely a set of labels that can be placed on pre-existing concepts, objects, or relationships. A similar approach to language is dominant: one in which language is reduced to a set of formal rules. Made the dominant approach of the field of linguistics by ferdinand de saussure. Famous swiss linguist who lived a century ago. Maintained that it was not only possible but necessary to decontextualize the study of language. Language- a science which studies linguistics structure is not only able to dispense with other elements of language, but is possible only if those other elements are kept separate.
