ANTH 222: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2021
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
District General Education: D2. Behavioral Science
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

This introductory course serves as a foundation for understanding language from an anthropological perspective, addressing such core questions as how, what, when, where, why and with whom we communicate. This course surveys three core areas in linguistic anthropology--structural linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax, as well as the biocultural basis of language; historical linguistics: origins and evolution/change, dialects, and language families; and sociocultural linguistics: language acquisition in cultural context, emphasizing the relationship between language and culture, and issues of language conservation and loss. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • Explain the anthropological approach to language and communication.
  • Analyze and exemplify how language and culture are acquired and interrelated.
  • Identify the structural properties of language.
  • Analyze non-verbal communication cross-culturally.
  • Describe the biocultural origins and development of language through time.
  • Describe the ways in which beliefs about languages and speakers have social consequences.
  • Describe factors and consequences of language change (such as loss) over time.

Major Course Content

  1. Characteristics (definitions) of human language
  2. Structural linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax)
  3. Nonverbal communication
  4. Sign Languages
  5. Biological basis of language & the relationship between language, culture, & thought
  6. Historical linguistics (language change/evolution over time, language families)
  7. Sociocultural linguistics (the relationships among language, identity, and power including language variation based in gender, class, and ethnicity)
  8. Language acquisition and socialization

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Peer-reviewed journal articles, ethnographies on language

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Language Socialization Group Project: observe linguistic practice among a particular community of speakers, record fieldnotes, and write a 4-6 page field report using appropriate anthropological terms/concepts and analysis.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Language Socialization Group Project: observe linguistic practice among a particular community of speakers, record fieldnotes, and write a 4-6 page field report using appropriate anthropological terms/concepts and analysis.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences

4A. Anthropology and Archaeology