Leezlleeh Jenice O.

Mondero BSED-S102

SUMMARY ON CHAPTER 2 – METHODS OF LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY

CONTRASTING LINGUISTIC WITH LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY

LINGUISTIC is the scientific study of language and its focus is the systematic
investigation of the properties of languages as well as the characteristics of language in
general. It encompasses the history of language families and how languages are acquired by
the children and adults and how language is processed in the mind and how it is connected to
gender and race. On the other hand, LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY studies the
language in its biological and sociocultural context. The term society is mostly used almost
interchangeably with the term culture and the compound sociocultural points out their
interconnection. Linguistic Anthropologist are experts that studies linguistic anthropology.
They study and describe the communicative links between individual members of a group
and between groups within society and when they study and describe traditional behavior
(culture) and how it relates to the values of the members of a group, their linkages with
language are sociocultural.

THE FIELDWORK COMPONENT

Fieldwork is the exposure of anthropologists to society or community they study and is
usually lasting several months and frequently a full year. It is when anthropologist engages in
the field they are working or doing their observation and studies by emerging into the field.
Participation observation is the immersion of anthropological fieldworkers for an extended
day to day activity of the whom they study.
Handbook of American Indian Languages is Boas first volume of fieldwork where he
insisted that a command of language is an indispensable means of obtaining accurate and
through knowledge because much information can be gained by listening to conversations of
the natives and by taking part of their daily life which to the observer who has no command
of the language will remain entirely inaccessible. Bronislaw Malinowski is a British
anthropologist who introduced the technique of the participant observation. Kennent L. Hale
is an American linguist who studied a huge variety of previously unstudied and often
endangered languages especially indigenous language of North America and Australia. Mary
R. Haas is also an American linguist who specialized in North American Indian Languages.
Thai and historical linguistic and she was a student of Edward Sapir and Franz Boas.
A CHECKLIST FOR RESEARCH IN THE FIELD
Checklist is a list of items required or things to be done and points to be considered. In
engaging in fieldwork, making a checklist is highly significant. Listed below are the checklist
in doing a fieldwork.
Preparatory Stage is when the location and the subject of the study have been decided upon.
It is the stage in preparing what are needed for the fieldwork like goods, plans, medicines,
paper, camera and etc.
Field Research Stage is the acclimatization to the environment to the people, climate,
hygienic, conditions and etc. It is the stage in finding reliable interpreters and finding good
informants and etc.
Field Research Methods is the method used in acquiring data and analysis. It is talking,
listening and recording data as soon as possible after receiving the information.
Possible Sources of Tension and Stress are the common problems in fieldwork like lack of
privacy, different living condition, food, beverages, parasites, insects and etc.
The Post Field Trip Stage is the last in the checklist. It is summary, conclusion and
analyzation of data gathered. It is writing up the results and preparing for the publicatons.