Living Language : An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology

by Ahearn, Laura M.

• ISBN13: 9781405124416
• ISBN10: 1405124415
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-05-06
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Accessible and clearly written, Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology introduces readers to the study of language in real-life social contexts around the world through the contemporary theory and practice of linguistic anthropology. A highly accessible introduction to the study of language in real-life social contexts around the world Combines classic studies on language and cutting-edge contemporary scholarship and assumes no prior knowledge in linguistics or anthropology Provides a unifying synthesis of current research and considers future directions for the field Covers key topics such as: language and gender, race, and ethnicity; language acquisition and socialization in children and adults; language death and revitalization; performance; language and thought; literacy practices; and multilingualism and globalization

Author Biography

Laura M. Ahearn is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University, USA. She is the author of Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters, and Social Change in Nepal(2001).

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. viii
List of Tables	p. x
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xvi
Language: Some Basic Questions	p. l
The Socially Charged Life of Language	p. 3
The Research Process in Linguistic Anthropology	p. 31
Language Acquisition and Socialization	p. 50
Language, Thought, and Culture	p. 65
Communities of Speakers, Hearers, Readers, and Writers	p. 99
Communities of Language Users	p. 101
Multilingualism and Globalization	p. 119
Literacy Practices	p. 140
Performance, Performativity, and the Constitution of Communities	p. 160
Language, Power, and Social Differentiation	p. 185
Language and Gender	p. 187
Language, Race, and Ethnicity	p. 214
Language Death and Revitalization	p. 240
Conclusion: Language, Power, and Agency	p. 259
Notes	p. 292
References	p. 307
Index	p. 336
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