best definition of linguistic anthropology?

[Alexandre Enkerli]

My personal definition will sound simplistic, but it works in some
contexts: the study of linguistic diversity.
See, I frame anthropology as the study of human diversity: biological,
linguistic, diachronic, and linguistic. Much of linguistic
anthropology (ethnolinguistics especially) connects to ethnographic
disciplines (which include cultural anthropology, of course, but also
folkloristics, ethnohistory, ethnomusicology, and even some parts of
sociology). But linguistic anthropology also connects, in its own
rights, with biological anthropology, archaeology, and cultural
anthropology.
Again, I know it sounds simplistic. But, in some contexts, it helps
people grok ling. anthro.
Then, we can talk about different categorizations of subfields. At
Montréal, we usually talked about sociolinguistics, ethnography of
communication, and ethnolinguistics. But some have different models to
describe disciplinary affiliations.
Which is all fine.

Alexandre Enkerli
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Concordia University
http://enkerli.wordpress.com/



On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 16:25, Andrew Mathis <echalon at gmail.com> wrote:
> After reading yet another vague definition of linguistic anthropology
> that manages to say absolutely nothing of substance, I feel like I
> have to ask: What is the best definition of linguistic anthropology
> you've seen that manages to distinguish it from related fields, but is
> short enough to be effective?
>
> Andrew Mathis
>