ANTH 114 Reading Questions 1 Culture, Ethnography, and Language

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Anthropology

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Anth 114: Reading Questions #1 Culture, Ethnography, and Language (8 points) NOTE: Students are required to submit the completed reading questions by the due date and time. If for any reason you are unable to do so, you must contact your instructor immediately and provide a valid, documented reason. Please see the late work policy on the syllabus. Address all parts of the question, and you can use your answers as a quiz study guide. 1. What are the four subfields of anthropology? Which one interests you the most and why? The four subfields of anthropology are cultural anthropology, archaeology, biological/physical anthropology, and linguistic anthropology (pg.14). Cultural anthropology focuses on the similarities and differences of cultural groups and living societies, which interests me the most. Cultural anthropology seems to slightly cover the other three subfields and can be applied to more cases that are important to acknowledge in modern times. Linguistic anthropology also interests me the most due to how it connects people and is like a key used to unlock information. Throughout time, languages die out and shift which makes it harder to understand ancient texts fully. 2. How could an anthropological perspective be applied to your life? What about to your field of interest? In America, a melting pot, I am consistently interacting with those who are different from me in all aspects. This makes it extremely crucial to have an open outlook or perspective so that I can fully grasp others and who they are. Also, with pop-culture, there are many elements of culture that may become emmeshed or viewed on a surface level. In Public Relations, Law, and an additional interest in intelligence analysis, being able to identify and question every detail (anthropological perspective) in an interaction or environment will advance my analytical skills and consideration towards clients. 3. Can you think of an example of ethnocentric thinking (which we all have to some extent at times)? What is valuable about a culturally relativistic perspective? An example of ethnocentric thinking would be when it comes to travelling, it would not help to be conscious of differences whilst not taking action to accommodate to others of that area or navigate. This can be seen as one believing that they are superior, and things should be done their way. Another example would be seeing one culture’s beauty standards as not beautiful based off of what you are used to. A culturally relativistic perspective is valuable since, in the

Anth 114: Reading Questions #1 travelling example, a level of consideration is brought out and leads to a more broad and accepting way of interacting and connecting. 4. In your own words, what is the definition of culture? What would you add to the definition of culture given in the article by Spradley? What is NOT culture? Culture is a term used to define a set system of intangible and tangible qualities, consisting of shared symbols to encompass a group’s characteristics. (pg.15) Spradley’s definition of culture, “the learned and shared knowledge that people use to generate behavior and interpret experience.” I would include the mention of groups or the collective that sets these shared characteristics. Anything that is an instinct for humans, such as crying as a baby or laughing is not cultural. It is only considered culture when we apply the whens and hows to these behaviors. 5. How is personality affected by where you live? What is a WEIRD society? How do scientific studies show ethnocentric bias when seeking to understand personality traits across world populations? Personality is affected by where you live because people can be nurtured by their environment, for example, if someone lives in an environment where the costs of waiting are high then they will likely be impatient. WEIRD societies are those that are Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. The scientific studies may show ethnocentric bias when seeking to understand personality traits across world populations through their lens of the Big Five model. This lens could contribute to them thinking that their approach, or perspective, on human behavior is the default setting. 6. What does the article “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” demonstrate? Who are the Nacirema? The Nacirema are a North American tribe in a territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui, and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. The article demonstrates the analysis (or ethnography?) of their specific views with an anthropological perspective. This is due to the statement about viewing their practice from a safe and developed civilization making us see it as crude, but it still showed some benefit. 7. What was the basis of the misunderstanding experienced by Lee when he gave an ox for the Christmas feast held by the !Kung? Can you think of any examples from your own life of a cultural misunderstanding of this kind of nature where expectations didn’t match behavior?

Anth 114: Reading Questions #1 Lee did not understand why he was receiving disappointing comments about obtaining the largest ox for Christmas, since it was the largest one there was. The purpose of the !Kung making him feel this way was to prevent any arrogance that he may have felt after retrieving a good meal. The understatements were a method to humble hunters, joke around, and show praise. I cannot recall experiencing any misunderstandings of this kind of nature. 8. Why do you think the !Kung react the way they do to those who have been successful hunters or who have provided a Christmas ox? Why do you think Americans expect people to be express gratitude at receiving gifts? They reacted that way to prevent arrogance and promote humbleness. Americans are more direct with interactions and typically do not like figuring out what is said. Because of this, when gifts are received, gratitude is to be expressed openly to ensure that others know what they are feeling/intending. 9. According the Bohannon’s experience with the Tiv, are all themes in literature culturally translatable? Provide at least one example to support your answer. What is significant about this? I am not sure if all themes in literature are culturally translatable due to how unique and complex certain concepts can be. For example, the Tiv could not understand the concept of ghosts and instead applied their own concept of witches and madmen in its place. This is significant because they were still able to rationalize and predict the story in their own way, proving that various perspectives can help provide explanations for certain circumstances. 10. What was significant to you about the TED talk “The Danger of a Single Story”? What about the film “First Contact”? In “The Danger of a Single Story , Chimamanda mentions her previous belief that books need foreigners in them by nature. I admired how she began to write based on what she was familiar with and shared how she was also guilty of a single story but grew from it. She ties it to how she and others are made up of multiple stories that are not always negative and the perspective can shift based on the starter. In the film “First Contact” something that was significant to me was how much misunderstanding was present and how ethnocentrism led to the Kopi people not being treated as humans.

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Anth 114: Reading Questions #1 11. What is a metaphor? What are the “metaphors we live by” as identified by Lakoff and Johnson? Provide an example of a metaphor we live by from the book. How does this metaphor affect the way people think in your culture? A metaphor is a poetic form, or characteristic, of language which affects our thoughts and actions. Lakoff and Johnson identify “argument is war” and “time is money” as the metaphors we live by since they govern our conceptual system. Time is money is common in the western culture because we usually must live by the hours to get work done. It is seen as a commodity, or something tangible, to measure things by and serves as a basis for guiding everyday activities. 12. How do you think language affects the way we categorize people and things in the world? Provide an example. Language is a way to apply labels to everyday items and is often backed by someone’s perspective. Because of this, many people may adopt these perspectives throughout time and not think twice about it. For example, the Spanish language applies gender to specific objects like the sun and moon which in turn, people believe the moon carries feminine qualities while the sun is masculine. 13. In what ways are we “fighting for our lives” in American culture? Provide an example . In American culture, we are fighting for our lives through arguments. Setting up a debate or an opposing idea is the best way to accomplish something like in the news. In the news, there are high amounts of criticism that can do damage. This is the same when it comes to family members because we must learn how to communicate differences without arguing to win or lose. It is best to not think of everything as a competition or game and instead come to an understanding. 14. What is the Sapir Whorf hypothesis? Can you provide an example of it in action from your life? The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is a term used to describe how language shapes thought patterns/perceptions, thus shaping culture. An example of this that I have witnessed in life is derogatory language. Many people use this language to demean those who are younger than them and also people who do not fit their standards (ethnocentrism). 15. Why does losing minority languages matter? What is significant about this issue to you? What knowledge can you imagine exists in minority languages? Losing minority languages means a loss of culture and when it comes to native people, extinction. In addition, people may feel out of place in society or the world. This is significant to

Anth 114: Reading Questions #1 me since I feel it is important to understand the history behind the languages and any special meanings/concepts. There are also words that exist in some languages/cultures that are not prevalent in others. 16. Could it be considered ethnocentric to label one type of English “Standard American English”? And in what ways do standards unite or divide groups? It is possible for it to be deemed as ethnocentric since the ones who create the label may do so on personal reasons. The standards could unite groups who understand the very basics of the language however, it could divide them as well. There are many dialects of the English language so people may try to set the dialects apart from “Standard English” by saying it is not good enough. Setting a standard on the English language can be divisive especially if there are specific areas/national borders it is applied to. 17. What is different about the Piraha language? Please summarize the central controversy of the film, naming the key players. The Piraha language does not have verb tenses for the past and there are not much consonants and vowels present. Additionally, there no number descriptors. The controversy is that it undermines the most powerful theory of human language. In the Piraha language, there is no recursion, which is a basic in linguistics according to Chomsky-ists. The language is one of the hardest to learn because of this. RUBRIC: Points Criteria 1-2 At least 9 questions are answered thoroughly and accurately, demonstrating both comprehension and synthesis of the material. Student’s answers to these questions lend insight into material and links between ideas. 3-4 At least 11 questions are answered thoroughly and accurately, demonstrating both comprehension and synthesis of the material. Student’s answers to these questions lend insight into material and links between ideas. 5-6 At least 13 questions are answered thoroughly and accurately, demonstrating both comprehension and synthesis of the material. Student’s answers to these questions lend insight into material and links between ideas. At least 15 questions are answered thoroughly and accurately, demonstrating both comprehension and synthesis of the material. Student’s answers to these questions lend

Anth 114: Reading Questions #1 7-8 insight into material and links between ideas. Work cannot earn full credit unless ALL answers are completed.

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ANTH 114 Reading Questions 1 Culture, Ethnography, and Language

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