The sub-field of biological/physical anthropology that I decided to focus on is linguistic anthropology. The original definition of anthropology is the study of human, the past and present. Linguistic anthropology is the evolution of language and the different relations to culture. It’s one of the branches of anthropology that is originated from the endeavor to document endangered languages. It has grown over many centuries to most aspects of language structure and use. That leads me to the basics, what is language? Language is a system of conventional spoken, written symbols by which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in one’s culture, It’s very interesting because communication was a vital trait in the evolution of human life. The functions of language include communicating, expressing identity, from emotional to imagination so that your culture can understand exactly what’s going on. Which leads me to the other question what is culture? Which are the systems of knowledge shared by a relatively large group of people. Culture is symbolic communication and is something that specifically identify everything about you. From the music you listen too, the lingo or the way you talk, food you eat and even the clothes your wear. Culture also symbolizes group skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and different motives.

Anthropological linguistics investigates the relationship between language and culture from the linguistics perspective. Language and culture go hand and hand with each other and what defines linguistics. Some linguists what studies it will focus more on the way words are formed and pronounced.  Pretty much the introduction of language through phonology to semantics, syntax and grammar systems. Linguistic anthropology explores how language shapes communication. Language plays a huge role in social identity, groups, and establishing cultural beliefs and ideas. The issue of endangered languages is a popular area of study for many linguistic anthropologists.

An endangered language is one that is at risk of disappearing due to a lot of people speaking another language. It’s been an increase interaction between different cultures because of globalization, more and more people are communicating with one another. Which is a good thing but also a bad thing in linguistics sense because of endanger languages. Languages have always died out over human history, today they are disappearing at a vastly greater rate because of language loss through natural disasters, violence, cultural repressions, marginalization and through war. That give off negative effects on cultural groups whose language is lost or endangered, which a culture can loss its social identity, cultural knowledge, loss of ecological knowledge, and many more.

Therefore linguistic anthropology contribute to the broader themes of anthropology because it examines many different ideas about the relationship between language and culture. The original definition of anthropology is the study of human, the past and present, and throughout the evolution of human society, communication and language is the main barrier of all that. Through talking, creating symbols, and expressing one feeling, all derives from communicating which is linguistics.  Native languages and new languages have been born through this and globalized cultures, bringing every culture together as one for many centuries.