Linguistic anthropology Essay Example for Free

Linguistic anthropology Essay Linguistic anthropology is defined as ‘an interdisciplinary field dedicated to the study of language as a cultural resource and speaking as a cultural practice’ (Duranti, 2001) or ‘investigate the relationship between communication and culture’ (Sociology and Anthropology Website, 2010). It is also ‘the study the role language plays in culturally patterned behavior’ (Stanton, 2000). This branch of anthropology utilizes ‘detailed documentation’ of people’s communicative interaction with each other in any social activity. It also focuses on subjective research through oral interviews, recorded transcription and active participation of the subjects. It has garnered interest from the academic field as more studies had been made with credible sources and maintaining the emphasis on systematic and empirical research. Language and culture are the key factors in the linguistic anthropology; it was often pointed out with linguists that children learn the language along with their society’s culture at the same time. Grammar, syntax, accent, dialects often arrived with surprising results. This branch of study often concludes the identity of the speakers; how they speak, why certain accents are received with prejudice or acceptance, etc. Having a linguist working with me, specializing in Political Science would be a very interesting and intellectual camaraderie. Culture is one of the significant factors in the Political Science field; its study is usually of game play of power and how to apply such influence on people. Linguistic anthropology’s methodology is also similar to that of Political Science. Interaction is necessary to achieve favor from the public masses whether for political campaigns or public relations within the government. Understanding different kinds of languages, even dialects, actually helped tremendously in comprehending the other parties’ identity in Society. Political Science is a study of power play and therefore must utilize soft power as much as possible to avoid damages in one’s society. Positive reinforcement to the different kinds of people, whether they are natives or foreigners, elite or poor, and men or women, would be impossible without understanding the language structure of the said subjects (Duranti, 2001). References: Duranti, A. (2001) Linguistic Anthropology. Retrieved on 5 May 2010 from, http://www. sscnet. ucla. edu/anthro/faculty/duranti/reprints/02ling_anth. pdf Stanton, W. (2000). Linguistic Anthropology of Education. Retrieved on 5 May 2010 from, http://www. gse. upenn. edu/~stantonw/pdf/lae. pdf Sociology and Anthropology Website. (2010). What is Linguistic Anthropology? Retrieved on 5 May 2010 from, http://www. mystfx. ca/academic/sociology/anthropology/LinguisticAnthropology. html

Love in Molières play, Tartuffe, John Donne’s Canonization, and Crashaws On the Wounds of Our Cru :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Love in Molià ¨re's play, Tartuffe, John Donne’s Canonization, and Crashaw's On the Wounds of Our Crucified Lord Other than being examples of some of the best literature of the seventeenth century, the three works listed in the title of this essay don't seem to fit very well together. Or do they maybe after all. Creativity consists of connecting things that don't always seem to be related. All three of these works of literature deal with the various aspects of love--both human and divine. Earlier this semester I read about the Italian poet, Petrarch, whose sonnets followed certain romantic conventions as he recounted his unrequited love for Laura. In his poem, "Canonization," John Donne seems, at first glance, to be making fun of himself according to the conventions of courtly love. The poet is upset with an imaginary opponent. In the first stanza he tells him, "For God's sake, let me love in peace! Go about your own business." Then in the second stanza he admits that his love can't compare with the love of a poet whose tears are sufficient to sink a ship, whose heated passion brings a fever as fatal as the black death. So the tone appears to be wry amusement, self mockery. Thus we are surprised when the poem takes a more serious turn. This light-hearted tone tricks us as readers; we seem to be identified with Donne's imaginary foe--we who go about the business of life concerned with such mundane matters as crop failures, plagues, wars and lawsuits, work study, pizza parties, Reason and Romanticism tests. The poet challenges us: "Go ahead! Call us flies" if that's what you think we are. The fly during the Renaissance symbolized shortness of life, human mortality, or lust itself--uncontrolled sexuality. Taper is another word for candle; a candle also reminds us of the brevity of life--of lust like fire that represents sexual desire and destruction. Finally, the word "die" had sexual overtones in the Renaissance; it was used to refer to orgasm sometimes called the "little death." People thought that sexual activity drained away one's vital forces, shortened one's life. The eagle and the dove image provide a natural transition to the phoenix, that mythical bird that is reborn from ashes. They also represent traditional symbols of masculine strength and activity and of feminine sweetness and passivity. We see how opposites are brought together in love. While the fly and the candle suggest physical love the reference to the three birds brings together opposites into a complimentary whole--"we find in us" two very different kinds of birds and the Phoenix of us one: "by us, we two being one, are it.

Building Types through Time

Since the evolution of mankind, he has been in the struggle of creating and molding the world and its raw resources according to his dire needs and comfort. When Adam and Eve were sent down to an absolute barren world they had all the resources unrestricted, and in an unlimited amount, but what they didn’t have then was knowledge of exploiting them or even the crave of attaining comfort of unimaginable means. They lived in small stone caves, supported with branches of trees and nature, sheltering themselves just like their peer animals.Man since the very beginning has been the same animal, however the way his surroundings changed and his abilities evolved, he gained the potential of achieving the maximum efficiency and production from his living designs and that is the concept of derived modernism in man’s life today. What identifies man from other animals of his race is his ability to think, to create and then design it according to his own needs.And his ability to fin d and form a shelter for him self and his family, has been his habit since prehistoric times; while the economy and technology have been changing throughout his life, so have been the forms of his construction and way of living. The word architecture can be taken in a very broad manner; from the residential houses, bungalows, flats and apartments, to commercial plazas, offices, shops and industrial structures.While over the time, with the malting of candle of time the architectural form which has witnessed the greatest change due to societal, demographical, economical, political and technological changes is that of residential buildings and its architecture. Stone Age Constructions Taking a look back into the history of mankind, we see that during the Stone Age’s man started off his life in animal like caves, and under canopies of trees, which could provide them shelter from the changing seasons and protection from the wild animals around.He did not possess the knowledge or t he tools to formulate anything more comfortable for himself and did not even have the potential of doing so. The human living status however soon shifted to tents and huts, to meet greater needs of self sufficiency. With the growth of man’s needs and the population size, with the formation of ruling bodies, came the establishment of urban centers. This change in establishment was brought forth by simple use of wood and metal in construction techniques; along with the use of nails, levers and pulleys.Medieval Construction With the 1500 century, residential architecture found a new era of development and progress with the rising of cathedrals, castles, and fortifications; the biggest man made structures even to this time, with their grandeur and magnificent craftsmanship. These huge structures were mainly built for the war purposes, in case of an attack from the enemies, these residences were also used as battlefields.Large forts were built in which entire cities lived so that if any threat to sovereignty occurred the mighty gates were closed, securing the entire population guarded by huge strong walls which surrounded them around. Theses powerful structures, had crosses erected across the glass windows, which represented ready made aims for crossbows, while strong arches and pillars were hiding places for the archers during war times. Thus the residences of the medieval times basically facilitated the warriors and served a stronger protection purpose from the enemies.However, as the world moved towards a greater peaceful living, one of the greatest elements of change that was brought during this period was the discovery of bricks, which greatly eased the production techniques making it less time consuming and gave a greater liberty to the designers. Thus houses shifted from less of being battle fields and more towards homely structures. Renaissance architecture As the world was shifting from living lives less of that of warriors, and had the aesthetic se nse slowly inhabiting their culture and tradition, the social lives of the people were on the verge of seeing a major change.Art was slowly becoming a modern part of their lives, which first started the sense of creating the elite and sophisticated class of aristocrats who greatly indulged in the exhibition of this abstract sense. This cultural rebirth was brought by the philosophical and scientific works which were gaining great popularity. The architecture of this period thus presented the aim of joining spaces to human lives, by which the theories of geometry were relate to light and how it varied with different materials, bringing the idea of ‘perspective viewing’ for the first time.Thus first architectural plans came into being, where designs were laid out first before they were rectified, and the idea plunged from France, to Italy, England and took over the rest of the world. Thus the new perspectives were further refined by the coming of the Baroque Architecture in the 17th Century, which redefined Renaissance with the agility of sculptures and theatrical fashion clean sweeping the olden ideas established by the staunch Church laws, which represented the religious shift of people from pure Catholicism to Protestants.It thus gained is freedom through fortifying grand palaces in Paris, London and then the rest of the world, the period giving birth to the world’s greatest architects such as Michelangelo and Carlo Maderno. Industrial Revolution and the rise of Modern Techniques The Industrial Revolution, a period which elongated from the late 18th to the early 19th Century, was an era which brought major structural changes in agriculture, manufacturing and transportation; greatly influencing the socioeconomic and cultural status of people in the North America and Britain, which later slowly took over the entire world.This was an era, in which machinery was gradually taking over manual and animal drift labor, whereby impossible acts seeme d to be coming to reality, with massive production, less time consumption, greater efficiency, lower costs as well as magnified distribution facilities. This revolution influenced the normal life style of almost every individual, who became a part of the new machine world. The turning point was brought by the easier transportation techniques, reinforced with the development of steam engines, giving life to trains, canals and road; and also the usage of metal and steel at higher levels for stronger and machinery.This metal was being used for the development of I-Beams and reinforced concrete; glass panels were being excessively installed, with more intricate wooden work now being made possible with precise machinery, able to work on minute details. Also with the launch of plumbing techniques, access to drinking water became easier, and thus houses could now even be built further away from a water source. However the Industrial Revolution, also gave rise to the new riches and poor who had been forced out of the income stream.It divided the community into two halves, the capitalist’s class who were the rich factory owners and industrialists living in enormous castles and gardens to meddle in, while the poor labor class hardly survived in small houses clustered in abundance across a street, which shared sanitation facilities. Epidemics of disease plagued these claustrophobic areas, where there were almost no plumbing facilities, no food supplies and large families living in houses of one or two rooms, with no government rules to intervene with the inhumane conditions.Victorian Architecture The Victorian era, which predominantly attained its name; through the rule of Queen Victoria (from 1837 to 1901); is most importantly remembered for the grace and elegance that it brought in the architectural sense of that time period. The newly established Industrial Revolution, which had made machine made products now cheaper and easier to use by the majority of the peo ple, saw the development of complex houses, different from their regular box like forms.The architects ad constructors found themselves exploding with ideas and notions which were diverse and freed themselves from the traditional forms, and allowed them to play with bolder colors, elaborate and prudent exterior fixtures. With the growth of trade, and growing influx of people to and forth different parts of the world; brought in more creative ideas. The most famous of the Victorian houses were the Gothic styles, or commonly known as the gingerbread homes; due to their strong color and intricate structures, derived their inspiration from Western Europe.As the era became more engrossed in maintaining grander, the Italianate style came in formation with huge arches and pediments influenced from the Roman Architecture were camouflaged into everyday houses, with porches elaborated with a centered square. As urbanized architecture was on the rise, mass and cheaper productions of materials were required, which it initiated the development of wooden shingles rather than the thick wooden use; thus for the first time the working class could erect their own homes, giving birth to the English traditional cottage style and American homestead, popularly known today as the Folk Victorian architecture.While the richer class dwelled in more expensive sort of ‘Queen Anne homes,’ with unequal floor plans, numerous arched windows, grand porches, elaborate, fancy gardens all fountain set and decorative windows and doors. While the American architecture of mansions consisted of large stone buildings, topped with giant chimneys, large windows and decorated with massive sculptures around the house. Moreover, the Industrial Revolution provided the cheap availability of brass and steel hardware utilized throughout these houses.History states that every great revolution or civilization meets it end in catastrophe, and so did the Victorian Era, whose closure was marked by the First World War in 1914. Whereas on the other hand, modernization and rise in incomes which was brought by the Industrial revolution, was further engulfed by the Great Depression, which plagued the economic status of the people. This span of downtrodden economies spun from 1929, and ended in the late 1930s to 1940. Modern Architectural DesignsThe end of the Second World War, brought with it an era of International living, with ever increased communication levels around the global, emerging creativity, sophisticated tools and designs which were impossible before now were standing in the broad daylight exhibiting the evolution of man’s mind to greatness. With the emergence of developing countries, new and intricate ideas were on the rise. Where structures stood on abstract lines, giving the architects a wide field to play with geometrical figures and culminate them into an extraordinary structure, each standing a loaf from the other in every aspect.In the 1930’s came th e idea of Art Deco, which exploited the use of various other materials such as nickel, chrome, stainless steel and aluminum. These substances proved to be more efficient and cheaper to use. However, to accommodate the war trodden refugees houses which were more simple and quicker to produce were introduced, making elaborate use of glass, flat roofs and simple interior. While most of these houses were duplicates of each other lacking individuality, but enough to meet up with daily needs; whereas an attached garage was a new feature.The second Industrial Revolution, in the early 20th century, with the aid of computer generation, and even efficient poor tools and machinery, led to the establishment of elevators and escalators, to approach the high rise buildings, later turning into skyscrapers, and it attained its maximum with the building of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York in 1977, which however faced its tragedy in 2001 due to the rising political calamity throu gh the world.The modern architecture is a blend of boldness, affordability, abstract designs and comfort; which all look towards the gleaming future of innovation. However, an aspect which cannot be avoided in these residences is their connection still staying strong with the traditional lines and patterns of their ancestors, which gives it a stronger and more sustainable area of growth, developing its roots for a longer time of existence.Nevertheless, the social status of the modern homes is evolving towards smaller families usually comprising of four members, thus such families also prefer living in a relatively smaller house, which is cost effective and could be easily be maintained by the mediocre earning of both the parents. Today with the growing urbanization and over utilization of resources, most of the residential architecture of the modern times is moving towards energy conservation and more of a sustainable development, which is easy to maintain and is less heavy upon the incomes of individuals.The residences of the future will be less of consumer friendly but more catering towards the needs of the environment. Throughout the world resources have been exploited to their maximum, with the increasing green houses effect, global warming, curtailing energy resources, and growing population levels there is a need of the creation of â€Å"Green Building,† which focuses upon conservation of energy, materials and water, which would have least externalities upon human health and the environment.Thus architecture is a living source, which evolves with time, perspective and society, taking over the shape and style which best meets its needs of the present as well for the generations to follow. References Dixon, Roger and Muthesius, Stephan. (1978) Victorian architecture. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-18163-2 Ching,F. , Jarzombek, M. , & Prakash, V. (2006). A Global History of Architecture. John Wiley and Sons Inc. Hopkins, R. (2002). A Natural Way of Buil ding. Transition Culture.Retrieved on April 26, 2009 from http://transitionculture. org/essential-info/articles/a-natural-way-of-building-2002/ Pater, P. (1976). Renaissance Rome. University of California Press The Architectural Timeline: Victorian. Retrieved on April 26, 2009 from http://houseofantiquehardware. com/site/timeline/tl_victorian. html Theisson, A. The Evolution of American Residential Architecture. Retrieved on April 24, 2009 from http://www. helium. com/items/1366726-american-residential-architecture? page=2

Mother-Daughter Relationship in Seventeen Syllables and...

In â€Å"Seventeen Syllables†, written by Hisaye Yamamoto, and â€Å"Everyday Use†, written by Alice Walker, the relationship between the mother and the daughter is portrayed. In â€Å"Seventeen Syllables†, the protagonist, Rosie is an American born Japanese (Nisei) who does not understand well about the Japanese culture, whereas her Issei mother, Mrs. Hayashi was born and raised in Japan and married to America. Mrs. Hayashi loves writing haiku, a traditional Japanese poetry, to escape from the reality of her loveless marriage. In â€Å"Everyday Use†, Mama is a traditional Afro-American woman, who receives little education and raised her two daughters by doing ‘man’s job’. Dee instead influenced by the Black Power Movement, tried to trace back her African†¦show more content†¦The Nisei generation, who knows â€Å"formal Japanese by fits and starts†, has totally no interest on the traditional Japanese culture. However, th e Issei generation sticks to their original culture and even starts magazines to trace back their life in Japan. As a result, the two generations, the Issei, Mrs. Hayashi and the Nisei, Rosie find it difficult to understand each other. It results in the isolation of the two generation. In â€Å"Everyday Use†, there is also isolation and oppression between the mother-daughter relationship of Mama and Dee. After Dee grows up and receives education, it makes her differ from the rest of the family who only stays in the sub-urban area and receives less or no education. She is exposed to the values of the new world with civil rights and equality, which Mama has totally no idea of what they are. Dee has greater visibility and zero tolerance for equality. Also, Dee has a sense of autonomy and individuality after receiving education. These are the things that Mama has not got in touch with before. Therefore, it leads to them not understanding the action of each other. For example, Dee wants to use the churn top and quilts as artistic uses and she do not understand why they are â€Å"backward enough to put them to everyday use†. Mama however sees the churn top as a kind of heritage which has been used for generation. It is the most appropriated to use it practi cally. Their difference in interpretation andShow MoreRelatedAmerican Slang Essay 115481 Words   |  62 PagesINTRODUCTION The present graduation paper deals with the study of slang as a part of language which presents certain interest both for the theoretical investigation and for practical language use. Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. Slang is often highly regional, specific to a particular territory. Slang terms are frequently particular to a certain subculture, such as musicians, and membersRead MoreAutobilography of Zlatan Ibrahimovic116934 Words   |  468 Pagesit was a terrible trip, but I m in good form. The injury is gone. I ll give it my everything. Guardiola looked as though he doubted me. I didn t understand him, and afterwards I called Mino Raiola. I call Mino all the time. Swedish journalists use to say: Mino is bad image for Zlatan. Mino is this and that. You want the truth? Mino is a genius. I asked him: What does the guy mean? None of us understood. We started losing it. But I got to play from start and we scored 1-0. Then the game turned