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The chosen piece is Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology. Linda
Light is the author who is a lecturer in cultural anthropology and linguistics at California State University Long Beach from decades. Her primary areas of focus are language and gender, first language attrition and indigenous language loss and maintenance. The piece highlights the significance and structure of language for the existence of human beings. Each language is a symbolic framework which represents meaning and is called arbitrariness in human language ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"5iQNvy9e","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Brown et al.)","plainCitation":"(Brown et al.)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":636,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/9HYLET2Z"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/yvjivw9i/items/9HYLET2Z"],"itemData":{"id":636,"type":"book","title":"Perspectives: an open invitation to cultural anthropology","source":"Open WorldCat","abstract":"We are delighted to bring to you this novel textbook, a collection of chapters on the essential topics in cultural anthropology. Different from other introductory textbooks, this book is an edited volume with each chapter written by a different author. Each author has written from their experiences working as an anthropologist and that personal touch makes for an accessible introduction to cultural anthropology. Our approach to cultural anthropology is holistic. We see the interconnectedness of cultural practices and, in all of the chapters, we emphasize the comparison of cultures and the ways of life of different peoples. We start with Laura Nader's observation that cultural differences need not be seen as a problem. In our complicated world of increasing migration, nationalism, and climate challenges, cultural diversity might actually be the source of conflict resolution and new approaches to ensuring a healthier world. Indeed, as Katie Nelson reminds us, anthropology exposes the familiarity in the ideas and practices of others that seem bizarre. Robert Borofsky advocates for anthropology's ability to empower people and facilitate good. Borofsky calls on anthropologists to engage with a wider public to bring our incredible stories and important insights to helping resolve the most critical issues we face in the world today. This book brings Nader, Nelson, Borofsky, and many others together to demonstrate that our anthropological understandings can help all of us to improve the lives of people the world over. We need you, as students, to see the possibilities. As instructors, we want to help you share anthropological knowledge and understanding easily. We want all readers to be inspired by the intensely personal writings of the anthropologists who contribute to this volume.","ISBN":"978-1-931303-55-2","note":"OCLC: 1050870316","title-short":"Perspectives","language":"en","author":[{"family":"Brown","given":"Nina"},{"family":"González","given":"Laura Tubelle","dropping-particle":"de"},{"family":"McIlwraith","given":"Thomas"},{"literal":"BC Open Textbook Project"},{"literal":"BCcampus"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Brown et al.). Besides, the piece thoroughly addresses biological, cultural, universal and social settings pertinent to linguistic aspects. The biological basis of language and acquisition of language in childhood are the frameworks used to generate further research. Irrefutably, the reading proved productive by enhancing the knowledge base related to linguistic and culture.
To begin, the reading proved beneficial and informatics because I learned key concepts related to linguistic and influence on culture and vice versa. The most intriguing information was the concept of the gesture-call system. Each culture possesses verbal and non-verbal languages that are consistent and vary from one culture to another. Apes and chimpanzees used gesture-call communication on a persistent basis. Kinesics, proxemics and paralanguage are the types. Paralanguage refers to the difference of gestures used for identification in several regions. For instance, making a circle with thumb and forefinger or raising thumb is deemed the gesture of acceptance in the United States. However, it is not essential that the same gesture is observed in each region as these values and gestures are largely influenced by indigenous cultural and social values. Phonemes, syntax, morphemes and semantics were sections I cherished the most. Each section is thoroughly discussed by the provision of evidence and credible information. For instance, semantics deals with the meaning of words and morphemes to comprehend the meaning of sentences and phrases derived from them. A wide range of linguistics has advanced to comprehend the uses and multitude of the meaning of the word like in American youth. It was made famous for the very first time in 1983. It was primarily a feature of Californian English but was spread across the state and even in the youth speaking who are second language speakers of English.
Another prominent aspect mentioned in the reading is the context which causes variations in language. Several people from distinct regions of America speak inherently different. The explanation and clarity with which the author explains the variation are immaculate. As per the author, migration routes, settlement patterns, language contact, geographic factors, social class, linguistic process and group reference are essential factors deriving the difference and variation among English speaker. In addition, I successfully extracted the critical message embedded in the reading. Language is a cornerstone to define humans and highlights the ethnicity, social class and historical preferences. From all around the world, languages are derived from historic languages. For instance, Latin is deemed a sister to Sanskrit which is the mother Indian languages. In the contemporary era, globalization is defining the role of language, culture, ideas and information in the world. English is one of the 3 or 4 most spoken languages. More than 6,000 languages are spoken in the modern era but more than half of the population of their world only speak 10 among them. The drastic disappearance of languages is a grave concern for many anthropologists and linguistics. It is essential to comprehend the significance of language as the loss language abrogates not only the language but also the culture and identity associated with it.
Word Count: 600 words
Works Cited
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Brown, Nina, et al. Perspectives: An Open Invitation to Cultural Anthropology. 2017.
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