ETHNOLINGUISTICS (ADVANCED COURSE)

Academic year
2023/2024 Syllabus of previous years
Official course title
ETNOLINGUISTICA SP.
Course code
FM0074 (AF:448627 AR:252118)
Modality
On campus classes
ECTS credits
6
Degree level
Master's Degree Programme (DM270)
Educational sector code
L-LIN/01
Period
1st Semester
Where
VENEZIA
Moodle
Go to Moodle page
The course is part of the related or additional studies of the master’s degree program in Cultural Anthropology, Ethnology, Anthropological Linguistics and is compulsory for all curricula. It aims to provide the knowledge required for reflecting and operating on language and languages from an anthropological point of view, with particular attention to the topic of lexical taxonomies, which constitute one of the linguistic ways of classifying reality.
By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to rigorously frame the question of the relationship between languages and cultures in light of the anthropologically salient linguistic phenomenology. Specifically, students are expected to acquire a general knowledge of the history, theories, methods, and fields of application of Ethnolinguistics and a thorough knowledge of the linguistic, cognitive, and cultural aspects which underlie the lexical taxonomies. Students are also expected to acquire the ability to expose issues and problems relevant to Ethnolinguistics using appropriate terminology.
The course requires basic knowledge of general linguistics. These notions will be recalled during the classes for those who have not previously attended a basic linguistic course. As an alternative, the reading of G. Berruto, M. Cerruti, La linguistica. Un corso introduttivo, Torino, 2017 (chapters 1-5) is suggested. The course also requires the ability to understand English written texts and a good knowledge of the Italian language for foreign students.
The first part of the course will cover the following general contents: the history of Ethnolinguistics; the relationship between language and culture; the social dimension of language; the communicative dimension of language; culturally significant functions and uses of language. The second part of the course will focus on lexical taxonomies (terms of kinship, botanical and zoological terms, colour terms, etc.) and on the interaction of the linguistic, cognitive, and cultural aspects which underlie these taxonomies, in the light of examples taken from languages genetically and geographically diversified.
1. Reference manuals
G. R. Cardona, Introduzione all’etnolinguistica, Novara, 2006 (sections 3.1.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 7.4, 8.2, 8.3, 8.5).
M. Mancini, B. Turchetta (eds.), Etnografia della scrittura, Roma, 2014 (chapters 2, 5, 6).

2. Further readings
2.1. Language and culture
F. Boas, Handbook of American Indian Languages, I, Washington, 1911, pp. 5-83.
F. Boas, Language, in General Anthropology, Boston, 1938, pp. 124-145.
E. Sapir, The Status of Linguistics as a Science, in «Language» 5, 1929, pp. 207-214.
B. Malinowski, Coral Gardens and their Magic, London, 1935, pp. 3-74.
B. L. Whorf, The relation of habitual thought and behavior to language, in Language, Culture, and Personality, Menasha, 1941, pp. 75-93.
C. Lévi-Strauss, L’analyse structurale en linguistique et anthropologie, in «Word» 1, 1945, pp. 1-21.
C. Lévi-Strauss, Language and the Analysis of Social Laws, in «American Anthropologist» 53, 1951, pp. 155-163.
C. Lévi-Strauss, Linguistics and Anthropology, in Results of the Conference of Anthropologists and Linguists, Baltimore, 1953, pp. 1-10.
K. L. Pike, Language in Relation to a Unified Theory of the Structure of Human Behaviour, The Hague-London, 1967, pp. 1-7.
D. Hymes, Foundations in Sociolinguistics. An Ethnographic Approach, Philadelphia, 1974, pp. 1-65.
P. Wolff, K. J. Holmes, Linguistic Relativity, in «Cognitive Science» 2, 3, 2011, pp. 253-265.

2.2. Lexical taxonomies
M. Mauss, Discussion, in «Journal de Psychologie» 20, 1923, pp. 944-947.
E. Haugen, The Semantic of Icelandic Orientation, in «Word» 13, 1957, pp. 447-459.
J. B. Carroll, J. B. Casagrande, The Function of Language Classification in Behavior, in Readings in Social Psychology, New York, 1958, pp. 18-31.
M. Mathiot, Noun Classes and Folk Taxonomy in Papago, in «American Anthropologist» 64, 1962, pp. 340-350.
M. B. Black, Eliciting Folk Taxonomy in Ojibwa, in Cognitive Anthropology, New York, 1969, pp. 165-189.
B. Berlin, Speculations on the Growth of Ethnobotanical Nomenclature, in «Language in Society» 1, 1972, pp. 51-86.
E. Rosch, Principles of Categorization, in Cognition and Categorization, Hillsdale, 1978, pp. 27-48.
G. Lakoff, Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things, Chicago, 1987, pp. 91-114.
P. Valenzuela, Categories in Shipibo Ethnobiological Taxonomy, in «Anthropological Linguistics» 42, 1, 2000, pp. 1-36.
J. N. Bailenson et al., A bird’s eye view: biological categorization and reasoning within and across cultures, in «Cognition» 84, 2002, 1-53.
L. Fleming, Taxonomy and Taboo, in «Journal of Linguistic Anthropology» 25, 1, 2015, pp. 43-65.

2.3. Colour names
B. Berlin, P. Kay, Basic Color Terms, Berkeley-Los Angeles, 1969, pp. 1-45.
N. B. McNeill, Color and colour terminology, in «Journal of Linguistics» 8, I, 1972, pp. 21-33.
A. Wierzbicka, The meaning of color terms: semantics, culture, and cognition, in «Cognitive Linguistics» 1, 1, 1990, pp. 99-150.
R. E. MacLaury, Basic color terms: twenty-five years after, in The language of color in the Mediterranean, Stockholm, 1999, pp. 1-37.
R. Fresu, Neologismi a colori. Per una semantica dei cromonimi nella lingua italiana, in «LId’O. Lingua italiana d’oggi» 3, 2006, pp. 153-179.
T. Regier, P. Kay, Language, thought, and color: Whorf was half right, in «Trends in Cognitive Sciences» 10, 2009, pp. 439-446.
D. Roberson, J. R. Hanley, Relatively speaking: An account of the relationship between language and culture in the color domain, in Words and the mind, New York-Oxford, 2010, pp. 183-198.
Learning will be assessed through an interview. The interview will focus on four general topics, which will be selected by the teacher: one from Introduzione all’Etnolinguistica (sections 3.1.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 7.4, 8.2, 8.3, 8.5), one from Etnografia della scrittura (chapters
2, 5, 6), one from the further readings concerning Language and culture (2.1), one from the further readings concerning Lexical taxonomies (2.2) and Colour names (2.3). It should be noted that the further readings will be framed and discussed during the lessons.
In particular, mastery of the topics, ability in presentation, and terminological adequacy will be taken into account for evaluation.
Classroom-taught classes with the help of presentations for reading and commenting on excerpts selected from the further readings list.
Italian
oral
Definitive programme.
Last update of the programme: 23/06/2023