Exam 1 Flashcards
the study of humankind, in all times and places
Anthropology
the systematic study of humans as biological organisms
Physical Anthropology
the branch of anthropology that focuses on human behavior
Cultural Anthropology
field of applied physical anthropology that specializes in the identification of human skeletal remains for legal purposes
Forensic Anthropology
theories about the world and reality based on the assumptions and values of ones own culture
Culture-Bound
the study of material remains, usually from the past, to describe and explain human behavior
Archeology
the branch of cultural anthropology that studies human language
Linguistic Anthropology
an anthropologist who studies cultures from a comparative or historical point of view, utilizing ethnographic accounts
Ethnologist
the systematic description of a culture based on firsthand observation
Ethnography
in ethnography, the technique of learning a people’s culture through direct participation in their everyday life for an extended period
Participant Observation
a fundamental principle of anthropology, that the various parts of culture must be viewed in the broadest possible context in order to understand their interconnections and interdependence
Holistic Perspective
members of a society in which the ethnographer works who help interpret what she or he sees taking place
Informants
the use of anthropological knowledge and methods to solve “practical” problems, often for a specific client
Applied Anthropology
an observation verified by several observers skilled in the necessary techniques of observation
Fact
a tentative explanation of the relation between certain phenomena
Hypothesis
in science, an explanation of natural phenomena supported by reliable data
Theory
the study of cultures of the recent past through oral histories, accounts left by explorers, missionaries, and traders, and through analysis of data such as land titles, birth and death records, and other archival material
Ethnohistory
the ideals, values, and beliefs shared by members of a society, that they use to interpret experience and generate behavior and that are reflected in their behavior
Culture
a group of interdependent people who share a common culture
Society
the rule-governed relationships of individuals and groups within a society that hold it together
Social Structure
the elaborations and meanings cultures assign to the biological differentiation of the sexes
Gender
a distinctive set of standards and behavior patterns by which a group within a larger society operates
Subculture
societies in which there exist a diversity of cultural patterns
Pluralistic Societies
the process by which a society’s culture is passed from one generation to the next and individuals become members of their society
Enculturation
the tendency for all aspects of a culture to function as an interrelated whole
Integration
a process by which organisms achieve a beneficial adjustment to an available environment and the results of that process; the characteristics of organisms that fit them to the particular set of conditions of the environment in which they are generally found
Adaptation
the belief that the ways of one’s own culture are the only proper ones
Ethnocentrism
the thesis that one must suspend judgement on other peoples’ practices [and beliefs and values] in order to understand them in their own cultural terms
Cultural Relativism
system of communication using sounds or gestures put together in meaningful ways according to a set of rules
Language
sounds or gestures that stand for meanings among a group of people
Symbols
a sound or gesture that has a natural or self-evident meaning
Signal
the modern scientific study of all aspects of language
Linguistics
the study of the production, transmission, and reception of speech sounds
Phonetics
in linguistics, the smallest classes of sound that make a difference in meaning
Phonemes
the study of the sound patterns of language
Phonology
in linguistics, the smallest units of sound that carry a meaning
Morphemes
a sound that can occur in a language only in combination with other sounds, as s in English does to signify the plural
Bound Morpheme
morphemes that can occur unattached in a language; for example, dog and cat are free morphemes in English
Free Morpheme
a method used to identify the syntactic units of language. For example, a category called nouns may be established as anything that will fit the substitution frame “ I see a “
Frame Substitution
in linguistics, the rules or principles of phrase and sentence making
Syntax
the entire formal structure of a language consisting of all observations about the morphemes and syntax
Grammar
the parts of speech or categories of words that work the same way in any sentence
Form Classes
a system of notating and analyzing postures, facial expressions, and body motions that convey messages
Kinesics
the extralinguistic noises that accompany language, such as crying or laughing
Paralanguage
in paralanguage, the background characteristics of a speaker’s voice
Voice Qualities
identifiable paralinguistic noises turned on and off at perceivable and relatively short intervals
Vocalizations
in paralanguage, sound productions such as laughing or crying that humans “speak” through
Vocal Characterizers
in paralanguage, sound productions of brief duration that modify utterances in terms of intensity
Vocal Qualifiers
in paralanguage, sound productions that are similar to the sounds of language, but do not appear in sequences that can properly be called words
Vocal Segregates
a group of languages ultimately descended from a single ancestral language
Language Family
the development of different languages from a single ancestral language
Linguistic Divergence
in linguistics, a method of dating divergence in branches of language families
Glottochronology
in language, pronouns, lower numerals, and names for body parts and natural objects
Core Vocabulary
the attempt by ethnic minorities, even countries, to proclaim independence by purging their languages of foreign terms or reviving unused languages
Linguistic Nationalism
The study of the relation between language and culture
Ethnolinguistics
the hypothesis, proposed by linguist R. L. Whorf, that states that language, by providing habitual grooves of expression, predisposes people to see the world in a certain way and thus guides their thinking and behavior
Sapier-Whorf Hypothesis (linguistic relativity)
varying forms of a language that reflect particular regions or social classes and that are similar enough to be mutually intelligible
Dialects
the study of the structure and use of language as it relates to its social settings
Sociolinguistics
the process of changing from one level of language to another
Code Switching
the ability to refer to objects and events removed in time and space
Displacement
