Language and Communication

Nowadays I feel like language has evolved so much. I use such different language within my friends than with my family. For example: whenever I am with my friends people around me use new slang words everyday that is honestly so hard to keep up with. Imagine saying "slay" or "ate" to your parents. They would probably look at you for a very long time and not know what you meant by that. I remember once I used the word "ghost" to my dad and he was very confused on what it meant; however, now that he knows the definition he now utilizes it frequently when sometimes I do not pick up his calls.

Language evolving is a major concept within anthropology since many different cultures and people utilizes various languages to interact with one another. I was studying on how language has diffused around the world. Much of the reason why several language has been spread and mixed in various areas in the world is mostly because of prior history of certain areas invading others. After learning about this I was wondering how this new, weird language has been spreading within my age groups, because seriously everyday there is a new word in someone's vocabulary. Like my other blog posts we have discusses how technology has had a very prominent effect on how people study humans since technology seems to be around us all the time now. So when I was reflecting upon this language idea I realized it has to do something with technology. Nowadays for language to spread there doesn't need to be an invasion or war, just social media.

This wasn't a very eduational blog post, but I wanted to share this because I find it so interesting how the spread of language has durastically changed. It used to be because one country would fight the other and the dominant world would soon invade that country, mixing various languages with one another. Now it can solely be someone saying a word in a funnily way and then others watching a video and repeating it until its in most 17 year olds vocabulary.

The Effects of Industrialization on Anthropology

Have you ever pondered how new technological advances have effected the study of humans and their cultures? Well, while researching about anthropology this question sparked in my brain.

Study.com presented a video containing the importance of recurring themes in history. These themes included war, social migration, and industrialization. The idea of industrialization reminded me of a unit in my U.S history class: the industrial revolution. This revolution changed everyday life from laboring in the fields to laboring in factories. With the new prevalence of technological advances, American culture changed. This idea made me reflect and ponder how these new advances have impacted different cultures, and therefore affected the study of anthropology.

Industrialization is something that will continue for as long as humans are alive. People continue to make these incredible innovations to essentially make peoples lives more convenient. People should be grateful about these advances, but I never stopped to wonder how our world would be different in the cultural aspect. America used to be an agrarian society, so the idea was that if you had more crops or bigger land then you were a successful human. Nowadays, the thing that sparks human desire and showcases dominance is geared towards money rather than land, showing how one invention could lead to a major change or development in society.

At first, I thought that that industrialization would have a negative impact on anthropology, but it would just be another factor that researchers now have to take into account. Right now people are all over the highly esteemed "Chat GPT." My friends and I have been thinking about how the usage of AI is going to affect some people's jobs or even the future of school. The way we live and interact could drastically change, meaning society's cultures will face a major shift. Technology is just another aspect that anthropologists have to think about because they have such a major role in society. Anthropologists used to just have to study human interactions to obtain their analysis, but now the connection between technology and humans will be something that goes into their studies.

Comprehending The Comparative Method

I started an on-line course titled “Understanding the Field of Anthropology” by Natalie Perdue. I learned that many anthropologists can study humans through various interactions. Technically, all humans are “amateur anthropologists” because everyone observes and has multiple interactions with one another. One significant idea that the video explored was the comparative method. According to Perdue, the comparative method “attempts to explain similarities and differences among people holistically, in the context of humanity as a whole”(Perdue, Study.com). This method ultimately helps anthropologists examine the ways in which environment affects people’s manners.

This idea resonated with me because it reminded me of an assignment I had for one of my history class: Spice: food, trade, and culture. We were learning about different table manners for different cultures. While learning about cultures, we had an assignment where we had to record our mannerisms during dinner. Then, we came back to class and compared it to other students’ answers. There was one significant difference in this assignment that corresponds with the comparative method. During the dinner that I recorded, my family was eating Janchi-guksoo, a Korean noodle dish. In Asian cultures people slurp their soups to reveal that they are enjoying their meal; however, in American culture slurping is a vulgar manner at the dinner table. This difference exemplifies how growing up in different environments enforces different mannerisms through cultures.

While studying this method, I started to reflect upon my whole life and realized that sometimes I do not practice things that are prevalent in my culture. I am Korean and the utensil that most Koreans utilize are chopsticks. I, however, have always chosen to use forks because they were more easily accessible for me. This made me think and wonder: How to anthropologists utilize these comparisons if within each culture some might practice other things?

I started to further my research with this intriguing question in mind. I stumbled upon a website by Yale University entitled " The Return of the Comparative Method in Anthropology." This title alone left me with the question of: The Return? When did it leave? I continued reading this article and figured out that this idea of a comparative method has been the center of a debate sine the early 1800s. The debate consisted of questioning whether data of human evolution was better found through science or history. Which circles back to my original question. According to Borofsky, the comparative method"[does] not necessarily prove a point. But they help to make sense of data about a group by broadening the frame of analysis. They offer the opportunity for new insights and syntheses” (Borofsky 2019). So, from my research I have come to the conclusion that this method is utilized more as background information that can essentially back up other forms of research.