Boasian linguistics
E71213
Boasian linguistics is a tradition in linguistic anthropology, founded by Franz Boas, that emphasizes detailed descriptive fieldwork, the study of indigenous languages in their cultural context, and the rejection of hierarchical or evolutionary rankings of languages.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
approach in linguistic anthropology
→
linguistic tradition → |
| associatedWithConcept |
cultural relativism
→
historical particularism → linguistic relativism → particularism → |
| contributedTo |
development of phonemic analysis
→
systematic grammatical description of unwritten languages → |
| developedIn |
United States
→
|
| emphasizes |
detailed descriptive fieldwork
→
documentation of indigenous languages → study of languages in cultural context → synchronic description of languages → |
| field |
anthropology
→
linguistic anthropology → linguistics → |
| focusesOn |
Native American languages
→
indigenous languages of the Americas → |
| foundedBy |
Franz Boas
→
|
| historicalPeriod |
early 20th century
→
late 19th century → |
| influenced |
American structural linguistics
→
Sapirian linguistics → development of linguistic field methods → documentation of Native American languages → work of Edward Sapir → work of Leonard Bloomfield → |
| keyFigure |
Edward Sapir
→
Franz Boas → Leonard Bloomfield → Mary Haas → Melville Jacobs → |
| methodologicalFocus |
comparative study of related languages
→
empirical data collection → participant observation in language communities → |
| namedAfter |
Franz Boas
→
|
| opposes |
racial explanations of linguistic differences
→
unilinear evolutionism in language → |
| rejects |
evolutionary ranking of languages
→
hierarchical ranking of languages → notions of primitive languages → |
| stresses |
collection of extensive text corpora
→
grammatical description based on primary data → importance of learning languages from native speakers → phonetic accuracy in transcription → |
| underlyingAssumption |
all languages are equally complex
→
languages must be understood on their own terms → |
| viewsLanguageAs |
integral part of culture
→
tool for understanding worldview → |
Referenced by (1)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Handbook of American Indian Languages
→
|
associatedWith |