Anthropology 101, 6th Period

[the-ascended.livejournal.com]

"Today, we're going to be talking about the four subdivisions of anthropology. As there are four of you, this works out nicely," Daniel smiled at the class.

"The four subdivisions are: cultural anthropology, physical anthropology, archaeology and linguistics. Each of you in turn, pick one and discuss what you think it means or entails. I'll be here to give you hints if need be. [[ooc: For a bit, then I'm to bed and I'll pick up dangling threads tomorrow morning]]

Comments

Linguistics

[the-ascended.livejournal.com]

"We'll be looking at this briefly, later in the semester."

Re: Linguistics

[kikidelivers.livejournal.com]

"Linguistics would be a sort of oral anthropology: studying the language of a culture and how its use evolved and developped along with the civilization and the new challenges they faced," Kiki says. "Like how we have phrases that were once slang and now have become accepted idioms, or the current trend to converting nouns to verbs - access, respect, and facepalm were all nouns - well, the last one is a slang one, so I guess it's a bit more free of the rules - but we've changed them into things you do now.

"Since grammar and syntax, not just vocabulary, play a role, studying the language structure of a civilization would help to understand how people in it related to each other; like having formal and informal forms of address could indicate social castes and how each caste treated people in other social positions. Language would also be an important part of ritual and religion, I think - as well as politics and economics."

Kiki realizes a little belatedly that she's been saying quite a lot - rambling, even, and colors a shade pinker, quickly shutting her mouth while her mun throttles her inner linguistics whore, yelling, "Shut up shut up shut up!"

Re: Linguistics

[the-ascended.livejournal.com]

Daniel nods and smiles. "Thank you, Kiki; I couldn't have said it better myself as his mun has never studied linguistics in her life and was so bluffing it last semester.