Code-Switching in Conversation - Language, Interaction and Identity
Collecting contributions from a wide variety of international sociolinguistic settings in which this phenomenon of code-switching is observed, this volume addresses the structure, function and ideological value of such bilingual behavior. The contributors question many views of code-switching on the basis of many European and non-European contexts. By bringing together linguistic, anthropological and socio-psychological research, they move towards a more realistic conception of bilingual conversation.
Origins of Grammar: An Anthropological Perspective
An important feature of human language grammar is that it seems to be unrepeated in nature; it does, therefore, seem to be a candidate for what differentiates us as a species. As an emergent capacity, however, it cannot be the whole story: the capacities from which it emerges must be more deeply implicated in our humanness than grammar itself.
Language can be studied from several angles. The focus on the relation between language, thought and culture is known as anthropological linguistics (AL). This text constitutes a basic introduction to the subject matter and techniques of AL. Traditionally, anthropological linguists have aimed to document and study the languages of indigenous cultures, especially North American ones.
Using ethnographic case studies from a wide range of geographical areas, including Mexico, Peru, Amazonia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Europe, and Africa, the contributors explore the inner worlds of meaning and practice that define and sustain elite identities. They also provide insights into the cultural mechanisms that maintain elite status, and into the complex ways that elite groups relate to, and are embedded within, wider social and historical processes.
The ultimate guide for the student who is coming to anthropology for the first time, Anthropology: the Basics explains and explores anthropological ideas, key anthropologist thinkers, concepts and themes, and the history of anthropological ideas. In this immensely readable book, Peter Metcalf makes large and complex topics both accessible and enjoyable, arguing that the issues anthropology deals with are all around us, in magazines and newspapers and on television.