A Survey of Language and Culture

Book excerpt: Is the development of language rooted in evolution, biology, or environment? How and why does language change over time? Do language and speech change depending on social context? A Survey of Language and Culture: Linguistic Anthropology and Cross-Cultural Communication answers these and other questions through discussion of the basics of linguistic anthropology and cross-cultural communication. The book is a survey of language and culture from an anthropological perspective. Through nine chapters students explore everything from the actual definition of language to language acquisition, from theoretical perspectives on language development to applied linguistics. Topics include how language emerged, linguistic competence and whether it is innate or interaction-based, syntax, morphology and phonology, signal communication, folklore and sacred language, and old world versus new world languages. Thorough yet concise and accessible, the book discusses the relationship between language and culture in a way appropriate for undergraduate study. A Survey of Language and Culture can be used in classes in cultural anthropology, linguistics, communication studies, and multicultural or ethnic studies.