Communication and Culture

Because globalization drives the need for a shared language, about 50% of the world's languages will be lost by the year 2100. With the extinction of each language comes the loss of the unique knowledge of the culture in which it was spoken. However, with the help of descriptive linguistics, historical linguistics, and ethnolinguistics, a culture can recover and revive its lost language. This can be demonstrated by considering the Serrano's quest for recovering their native language.

To start, descriptive linguistics, which involves unraveling a language by recording, describing, and analyzing all of its features, can be used to make sense of a language that has not yet been described and analyzed. In the case of the Serrano Indians, their language had been passed down orally from generation to generation. However, due to the ethnocentrism of early Americans, the new more dominant government forced the Serrano to go to Indian school, where they were not allowed to speak their ancestral language. Over time, fewer and fewer Serrano were fluent in Serrano language. In fact, the last fluent Serrano speakers died during the 1950s and 1960s. With the growing awareness that such loss of language would result in the loss of their cultural heritage, Serrano elders sought the help of anthropologists in order to recover and revive their language and, in turn, their customs. In order to create a learning program, the Serrano elders who were somewhat fluent in Serrano met with descriptive linguists. The descriptive linguist, first, sought to identify the phonemes, the distinct sounds, of the Serrano language. Next, they identified morphemes or the smallest units of sound that can be used to alter the meaning of a word. And finally, they determined the syntax, rules by which words are arranged in sentences or phrases, and grammar, the formal structure of the language. Since Serrano had been an oral language, descriptive linguists met with the Serrano elders to create a writing system. With a writing system, Serrano would be easier to teach due to the symbolic representation of the new writing system and the recording of Serrano language through the new writing system would provide a permanent record of the language. Through the help of descriptive linguistics, the Serrano were able to recover and revive their language. The role of the descriptive linguist in describing and analyzing languages can result in the recovery and revival of endangered languages.

In addition to descriptive linguistics, historical linguistics, which deals with the fact that languages change, play a key role in the recovery and revival of languages. Like in the case of the Serrano, many indigenous groups of people have experienced linguistic erosion or even the complete disappearance of languages out of the dominance of a foreign power. In reaction to this cultural dominance, the Serrano sought to reclaim their unique identity. Because historical linguists understand that indigenous groups wish to reclaim their unique identities and realize the importance in preserving endangered languages in our globalizing world, they become advocates for the indigenous groups in their language reclamation efforts. Such is the case of historical linguistists in the reclamation efforts of the Serrano. Historical linguistics is important in the reclamation of endangered languages.

Furthermore, ethnolinguistics, the study of the relationships between language and culture, are also important in the reclamation of endangered languages. Ethnolinguists believe in a concept called linguistic determination which is the idea that language shapes the way we think about the world around us. This concept gives people insights about their cultural heritage. In the case of the Serrano, it was noted that much of Serrano language was organized by time according to the seasons. This idea helps the Serrano to understand their cultural heritage including its history and its ways of life. In the video, the following concept is stressed: language not only reflects culture, but it also makes culture. Language changes to fit the culture. And, in order to maintain that culture, languages must be maintained. The ethnolinguist's role in language revival is the education of the importance of the language on that specific culture. If a group of people wishes to maintain their culture, they must understand the importance of language on that culture. In educating the Serrano of this importance, their drive to maintain language and their unique identity is enhanced which helps in the reclamation efforts of the language. Ethnolinguistics is important in the recovery and revival of endangered languages.

Demonstrated by the Serrano's quest for recovering their native language, the assistance of descriptive linguists, historical linguists, and ethnolinguists, can enable the recovery and revival of endangered and lost languages. The role of the descriptive linguist in describing and analyzing languages, the role of the historical linguist as advocate for a group's reclamation efforts, and the role of the ethnolinguist as educator of the significance of language on culture form the ultimate team for the revival and recovery of endangered and lost languages. Even in today's globalizing world, these anthropologists work to preserve unique languages and cultures, expressing the need for separate languages rather than a shared language. With the extinction of each language comes the loss of the unique knowledge of the culture in which it was spoken. On the contrary, each successful reclamation effort brings unique knowledge, insight into the world in which we live. A world that contains no clear cut answers.

Sources:

William A. Haviland, Harald E.L. Prinns, Dana Walrath. Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge

William A. Haviland, Harald E.L. Prinns, Dana Walrath. Cultural Anthropology: The Human Challenge Video Series: Communication and Culture