Anthropological linguistics is the study of how language is integrated into various cultures around the world. It examines topics like speech communities, language socialization, and the relationship between power and language. There are four main branches: descriptive linguistics describes dialects; historical linguistics studies language changes over time; ethnolinguistics analyzes the links between language and culture; and sociolinguistics considers the effects of society on language and vice versa. Major theories include the work of Franz Boas, Edward Sapir, and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis on how language shapes thought and cultural reality. The overall aims are to understand the interplay between language, culture, environment, and social organization within communities.

1. Anthropological Linguistics
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2.  Introduction
 Branches
 Theories
 Aims
 Conclusion
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3.  Linguistics is the science of language. It deals with the study of
human language (Bauer, 2007: 11).
 According to Hannerz, “Anthropology is the science of humanity
which studies human being in aspects of society and culture.
 ” Thus, Anthropological Linguistics is the study of how language
is used in everyday life and how it is integrated into the various
cultures around the world (Rowe, 2006: 211).
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4. Anthropologists are keenly interested in language use,
structure, and change, and the relations among language,
society and culture.
The study includes
 speech communities
 the performing of language
 language socialization
 power in language.
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5.  Speech Community:
A group of people who share similar ideas, uses and norms of language.
 Performing of Language:
The performing of language can be separated to the following.
 Conversation as a culture
 Gesture
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6.  Language Socialization:
The process of getting socialized through language and the process of
getting socialized to language.
 Power in Language:
Language plays a crucial role in mediating differences in power between
speakers.There are five levels of language ideologies:
 Group or individual interests
 Multiplicity of ideologies
 Awareness of speakers
 Mediating functions of ideologies
 Role of language ideology in identity construction
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7. Following are the branches of anthropological linguistics:
 Descriptive linguistics
 Historical linguistics
 Ethnolinguistics
 Sociolinguistics
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8.  Descriptive (Synchronic) linguistics:
Describes dialects (forms of a language used by a specific speech
community).
Descriptive linguistic is the work, of objectively analyzing and describing
how language is spoken (or how it was spoken in past) by a group of people
in speech community.
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9.  Historical (Diachronic) linguistics:
Describes changes in dialects and languages over time.
According to Brian D. Joseph defines Historical linguistics is the branch
of linguistics that is concerned with language change in general and with
specific changes in languages, and in particular.
 With describing them.
 With cataloging them.
 And ultimately with explaining them.
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10.  Ethnolinguistics:
Ethnolinguistic is a field of linguistics which studies the relationship between
language and culture, and the way different ethnic groups perceive the world. It
is the combination between ethnology and linguistics.
Ethno linguists study the way perception and conceptualization influences
language, and show how this is linked to different cultures and societies.
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11.  Sociolinguistics:
Sociolinguistics is the study of relation of language with society and the way
language is used.
Sociolinguistics is the study of effect of the society on the language, while the
latter’s focus is on the language’s effect on the society.
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12.  FRANZ BOAS’sTheory
 EDWARD SAPIR’sTheory
 Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
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13.  Franz Boas was an anthropologist whose main work was devoted to
prove the inexistence of some racist interpretations regarding language,
thought and culture. He affirmed that all human beings were essentially
equal.
 He claimed that language might facilitate certain type of thinking and
would provide elements to understand some unconscious patterns of
culture and thought, but it would not prevent people from developing
certain advanced ways of thinking.
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14.  He was an American anthropologist-linguist, who is considered one of
the most important figures in the early development of the discipline of
linguistics. He was a student of Boas and he worked upon his teacher’s
theories, but he also developed his own theories.
 Sapir pointed out a strong influence of language on thought and culture.
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15. The most interesting theory about language and culture came from
Benjamin Lee Whorf and Edward Sapir. The theory is called Whorfian
hypothesis or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. It is also called the theory of
linguistic relativity.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis can be divided into two components:
o Linguistic Determinism
o Linguistic Relativity
 Expression of thoughts
 Cultural determinism of language
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16.  Expression ofThoughts:
 Happiness:
Happiness is an emotion that is associated
with a state of mind that reflects
satisfaction, pleasure or joy.
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17.  Sadness:
Sadness is an emotional pain associated
with, or characterized by, feelings of
disadvantage, loss, despair, grief,
helplessness, disappointment
and sorrow.
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18.  Surprise:
Surprise is an emotion that is associated
with a brief state of being.This brief
state of being is invoked by an
unexpected, relevant event.
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19.  Anger:
Anger is an emotion that is associated
within the range of minor
irritation to intense rage.
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20.  Cultural determinism of language
 Language expresses cultural reality:
 Words express facts, ideas or events
that are communicable.
 Words reflect attitudes, beliefs
and point of view.
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21.  Language embodies cultural reality:
 The (spoken, written or visual) medium people
choose to communicate with one another
create meanings that are understandable
to the group they belong to.
 Language symbolizes cultural reality:
 Language is viewed as a
symbol of social identity.
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22. The aims of anthropological linguistics, as described by Dell Hymes are as
follows:
 Evaluation of differences and similarities among languages.
 The significance of linguistic patterns for the basic outlook of people (i.e.
their world view).
 The relation between people’s vocabulary and their other interests.
 How speaking enters into norms of interaction among persons.
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23.  How the motives of play and art are manifested linguistically.
 The relation between levels or varieties of speech on the one hand
in types of community and their boundaries on the other.
 How social factors enter into linguistic change.
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24. Linguistic anthropology examines language through the lenses of
anthropological concerns. The concerns include the transmission and
reproduction of culture, the relationship between cultural systems
and different forms of social organization, and the role of the
material conditions of existence in a people’s understanding of the
world.
So, the relationship between the environment, the culture,
and the language of a people is self-reinforcing.
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