ANT 260: Language, Culture, and Society Spring 2004 Class: T/TH 12:45-2:05 Room: 105 Goodnow Hall

Instructor: Dr. Brigittine French Office: 104 Goodnow Hall Office Hours: 11:00-12:00 M/T/TH 2:15-3:15 T/TH and by appointment E-mail: frenchb@grinnell.edu Phone: 269-4816 Description This course provides an overview of linguistic anthropology, the study of human language in its structural and cultural contexts. Through class lectures, readings, and discussions, students will become familiar with key issues, themes, and theories about language in contemporary anthropological and sociolinguistic scholarship. Questions addressed include: What is unique about human language? How does language operate as a sign system? What is the relationship between language and culture? How do language and language practices shape and reflect social identities? How are notions of language shaped by systems of social domination? The course is designed to encourage students to become critical thinkers about the ways that language and language use affect and are affected by individuals, social groups, cultural practices, and politics. Objectives 1) To think holistically about language, to form an understanding of human language by integrating its structural and social aspects. 2) To become familiar with the theories and methods used in linguistic anthropology. 3) To develop the ability to synthesize and integrate perspectives addressed in the course. Texts 1) Bauman, Richard. 1984. Verbal Art As Performance. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. 2) Blount, Ben. 1995. Language, Culture, and Society: A Book of Readings. 2nd Edition. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. 3) Clark, Virginia, Paul Eschholz, and Alfred Rosa. 1998. Language: Readings in Language and Culture. 6th Edition. New York: St. Martins Press. 4) Grenoble, Lenore A. and Lindsay J. Whaley. 1998. Endangered Languages: Language Loss and Community Response. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

5) Reserve readings.

Two copies of the readings will be in the anthropology reading room on the 3rd floor of Goodnow Hall. The building is open M-F from 8:00-5:00. Students may sign out the materials for one hour in order to make personal copies.

Course Requirements: 1) Examinations: There will be two take-home exams. Exams will consist primarily of essay questions designed to address course materials covered in lectures, readings, videos, and class discussions. 2) Research Paper/Proposal: There will be one formal paper. An annotated bibliography will be due in conjunction with the paper. 3) Reading Response Papers: Each student will write a brief (one page singlespaced) response to a set of assigned readings and present it to the class for discussion. 4) Attendance and Participation: Attendance and participation are essential to a successful class both individually and collectively. They are both expected and graded. Grading and Evaluation Exam one Exam two Reading response Annotated bibliography Final paper Exercises Participation points 20 percent 20 percent 10 percent 10 percent 20 percent 10 percent 10 percent 40 points 40 points 20 points 20 points 40 points 20 points 20

Late Assignments No late assignments will be accepted without prior discussion and approval. Students with Disabilities: Anyone who has a disability that may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements should inform me so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please see me after class or during my office hours.

Topic 1: The Nature and Culture of Language T Jan 20 Course Introduction TH Jan 22 Bolton, W. Language: An Introduction in Clark et.al. Pp. 61-73. Daniels, H. Nine Ideas about Language in Clark.

T Jan 27

Fromkin et. al. The Development of Language in Genie in Clark, et. al. Pp. 588-604. Ochs, Elinor and Bambi Schieffelin. Language Acquisitions and Socialization in Blount.

Topic 2: Langue: Structure, Description, and Analysis TH Jan 29 de Saussure, F. Selections from A Course in General Linguistics pp. 1-17 and 65-78 in Reserve readings. Benveniste, Emile. "The Nature of the Linguistic Sign" pp. 17-27 in Reserve readings. *Student response. T Feb 3 TH Feb 5 Callary, Edward. Phonetics in Clark, et. al. Pp. 113-133.

OSLF. The Minimal Units of Meaning: Morphemes in Clark, et. al. Pp. 134-143. EXERCISES DUE Henry, Frank. Syntax: The Structure of Sentences in Clark, et. al. EXERCISES DUE

T Feb 10

Topic 3: Language and Worldview TH Feb 12 Sapir, Edward. "The Unconscious Patterning of Behavior in Society" in Blount. Whorf, B. "The Relation of Habitual Thought and Behavior to Language" in Blount. *Student response. T Feb 17 in Blount. Frake, Charles. "The Ethnographic Study of Cognitive Systems" Lucy, John. Whorfs View of the Linguistic Mediation of Thought in Blount. *Student response. Topic 4: Ethnography of Communication TH Feb 19 Edwards, P. "Speech Communities" in Clark, et. al. Pp. 267-276 Hymes, Dell. "The Ethnography of Speaking" in Blount. T Feb 24 Gumperz, John. "Linguistic and Social Interaction in Two Communities" in Blount. Goffman, Erving. "On Face-Work" in Blount *Student response.

TH Feb 26 Hughs, John. Languages and Writing in Clark et. al.

Guest Lecturer: Professor Mercedes Nio-Murcia: Ethnography and Literacy 4:15 Lecture (ATTENDENCE IS REQUIRED) T Mar 2 EXERCISES DUE

Topic5:SemioticApproachestoLanguageandCulture TH Mar 4 Peirce, C. S. "Icon, Index, and Symbol" Pp. 156-173 in Reserve readings. Mertz, Elizabeth. "Beyond Symbolic Anthropology: Introducing Semiotic Mediation" pp. 1-19. in Reserve readings. T Mar 9 Silverstein, Michael. "Shifters, Linguistic Categories and Culture Description" in Blount. *Student response TAKE HOME EXAM

Topic6:VerbalArtandPerformance T Mar 9 4:15 workshop on folk music and politics in the U.S. by Charlie King (ATTENDENCE IS REQUIRED) TH Mar 11 Bauman, Richard. Part I Verbal Art As Performance Pp. 3-45 *Student response SPRING BREAK T Mar 30 Abrahams, Roger. Training of Man of Words in Talking Sweet in Bauman. Graham, Laura. Performing Dreams in Reserve readings. Video: Language You Cry In ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE

TH April 1

Topic 7: Language Variation T April 6 Hong Kingston, Maxine. "Finding a Voice" in Clark, et. al. Pp. 1316 Caldas S. and S. Caron-Caldas. "Rearing Bilingual Children in a Monolingual Culture: A Louisiana Experience" in Clark, et. al. Pp. 514-521. *Student response. TH April 8 Video: American Tongues/People Like Us Marckwardt, A. and J. Dillard. Social and Regional Variation in Clark, et. al. Pp. 277-291.

T April 13

Cukor-Avila, Patricia. The Complex Grammatical History of African-American and White Vernaculars in the South in Reserve readings. Chun, Elaine. The Construction of White, Black, and Korean American Identites through African American Vernacular English in Reserve readings. *Student response.

TH April 15 Keenan, E. Norm-Makers, Norm-Breakers in Reserve readings Tannen, D. "I'll Explain It to You" in Clark, et. al. Pp. 365-379. *Student response. Topic 8: Political Economy of Language T April 20 Bourdieu, P. "The Economics of Linguistic Exchanges" in Reserve readings. Irvine, Judith. "When Talk Isn't Cheap: Language and Political Economy" in Reserve readings TH April 22 Hill, Jane. "The Grammar of Consciousness and the Consciousness of Grammar" in Blount. *Student response. Topic 9: Language Endangerment, Loss, and Revitalization T April 27 Dorian, Nancy. Western Language Ideologies and SmallLanguage Prospects in Grenoble and Whaley. Grenoble, Lenore and Lindsay Whaley. Toward a Typology of Language Endangerment in Grenoble and Whaley. TAKE HOME EXAM TH April 29 Mithun, Marianne. The significance of Diversity in Language Endangerment and Preservation in Grenoble and Whaley. Hale, Ken. On Endangered Languages and the Importance of Linguistic Diversity in Grenoble and Whaley. *Student response. T May 4 Dauenhauer, Nora and Richard Dauenhauer. Technical, emotional, and Ideological Issues in Reserving Language Shift in Grenoble and Whaley. French, Brigittine. The Politics of Mayan Linguistics in Guatemala: Native Speakers, Exert Analysts, and the Nation in Reserve readings. *Student response. Jacobs, Annette. A Chronology of Mohawk Language Instruction at Kahnawa:ke Kaiatitahkhe in Grenoble and Whaley.

TH May 6

Woodbury, Anthony. Documenting Rhetorical, Aesthetic, and Expressive Loss in Language Shift in Grenoble and Whaley. T May 11 FINAL PAPERS DUE IN MY OFFICE BY 12:00 PM.