CHAPTER 14:

“ LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD”

TOPIC: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF LANGUAGES & LANGUAGE AND THE LAW

Submitted by: Richelle T. Udtohan BSEDE 1A

Submitted to: Nelson P. Pastolero phD

Faculty of Teacher Education

 CHAPTER 14:
“ LINGUISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD”

The life and death of languages:

According to Ethnologue (Gordon 2005), It Shows that there is great linguistic

diversity around us. Which means that the population of 6.8 billion people around the world
speak six thousand languages. However, 96 Percent of them are spoken by only 4 percent of
the population. Imagine, in the population of 6.8 billion people around the World, only 4
Percent of the population spoke 96 percent of languages. If we keenly observed about that,
some languages are dying at an alarming rate. David Crystal (2004:47) claims that on average
one language dies out every two weeks, and in this part, we will look at why so many
languages are dying, and what is something can be done about it.

Why it has been said that languages became Endangered? Now In 2010, nearly 2,000
plant and animal species were threatened with extinction or serious extinction. However,
many languages are facing similar threats at an increasing rate. David Crystal reveals that
about 500 languages have fewer than 100 speakers, and over 1,500 languages have only
1,000 speakers. Only about 600 languages are considered “safe,” meaning their number of
speakers will increase or remain at “critical mass.” Small societies could maintain their
languages if they were viable and isolated from large societies, but this is becoming less
possible. However, in today’s interconnected world, it’s becoming more challenging for
small communities to maintain their languages. This is because globalization and the
influence of dominant languages can make it harder for smaller languages to thrive. So, in
simple terms, it’s becoming less possible for small societies to preserve their languages due to
the increasing influence of larger societies and globalization.

Why do languages die? Languages die due to the various factors. The most common
reason during the twentieth century was the economic and cultural influence of large nation-
states where Small societies become dependent on the dominant society and learn to
communicate in their own language. Bilingualism often occurs, but the next generation
becomes monolingual in the larger society’s language. Languages die because there in this
what we called “Influence” that happen where people tend to practice other languages that
they like instead of their own and because of that, their own languages was slowly neglected
as time passed by because of the overlapping influence of the dominant language of one
society. let’s say for example in today’s generation, where most people here in the Philippines
slowly practiced the Korean languages and mainly influence by the language culture of that
specific group or society.

Language death: Why should we care if a language die? There are 5 reasons why we
should care:

1. Because we need diversity in order to preserve our traditional cultural wealth.

 • Language is a vital part of preserving our cultural heritage. When we embrace
diversity in language, we ensure that different traditions and customs are passed down
through generations. And That’s the importance of language.
2. Because a language constitutes the primary symbol of the ethnic identity.
•It is something that defines of who we are and where we came from. A fundamental
symbol of one’s ethnic identity.
3. Because languages, whether written or unwritten, are repositories of history.
•Languages, serve as valuable repositories of history, in a sense that, it preserves the
collective knowledge, traditions, and stories of a community across generations.
4. Because languages contribute to the sum of human knowledge.
• Languages are important to care about because they play a significant role in
expanding and enriching the collective knowledge of humanity, Allowing us to
interact in various communities giving us more knowledge about the things in the
world through interacting with it through the use of language.
5. Because languages are fascinating in themselves.
• language are fascinating in themselves it is because every language is unique. They
have different structures and and have its own beauty.

We should care about our language because according to Kenneth hale, a linguist at
MIT who Devoted himself in preserving languages of small tribal societies, once said,
“ When you lose a language, it’s like dropping a bomb on a museum.” Which is
indeed true.

Language maintenance and reinforcement

Language maintenance and reinforcement efforts by linguists and Native American

tribal leaders have been increasing since the mid-1960s. These efforts aim to preserve and
strengthen languages in communities where the traditional transmission of oral skills from
parents to children is no longer effective. While there are still around 200 Native American
languages spoken to some extent in the United States and Canada, many of them are at risk of
being replaced by English. Language maintenance and reinforcement typically involve
linguistic analysis on various levels, including phonological and morphological analysis
These efforts are crucial for the preservation of Native American languages and the cultural
heritage they represent. Language maintenance and reinforcement includes: linguistics
analysis,( which includes on all levels phonological, morphological , syntactic, lexical),
writing systems which is ( usually the latin alphabet with a few additional symbols and
diacritics if necessary) and; the production of industrialize materials for the use of native
American pupils.
Example of society who had the interest in maintaining their languages are Arapho
people are a Native American tribe that historically lived on the plains of Colorado,
Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas. They were a nomadic equestrian tribe and depended on
buffalo hunting for subsistence. This Arapho people have the eagerness to maintain, and even
reinforce their ethnicity and cultural heritage. However , their present situation is nothing
short of critical. and they had several factors to contribute to the gloomy outlook includes:

1. With few exceptions, the only individuals who have full command of
Arapaho-even if they no longer use it habitually and even if English has come
to influence it-are members of the oldest generation.
• This phrase states that the older generation is the one that has the most
proficiency in speaking Arapaho. Even if they don’t use it regularly anymore and
English has influenced their language, they still have a strong command of it.
2. Parents no longer teach Arapaho to their children in the home.
• It seems that parents are no longer teaching Arapaho to their children at home.
This could be due to various reasons such as a shift towards using English as the
primary language or a decrease in the importance placed on preserving the
Arapaho language within the community.
3. The numbers of active speakers and of those who have at least some passive
knowledge of Arapaho are declining rapidly.
• The number of people who actively speak Arapaho or have some knowledge of it
is declining rapidly. This indicates a worrying trend where fewer individuals are
able to communicate in Arapaho, either actively or passively.
4. The bulk of the population is for all practical purposes monolingual; English
is preferred in essentially all situations, including even some traditional
ceremonial contexts.
• The majority of the population is essentially monolingual, meaning they
primarily speak and use only English. Even in traditional ceremonial contexts
where Arapaho might have been used in the past, English is now preferred.
5. Arapaho is losing its communicative viability-its capability to adapt
successfully to new situations.
• This clearly stated that Arapaho is losing its ability to adapt and be effectively
used in new situations. As fewer people speak the language and English becomes
more dominant, Arapaho is becoming less viable as a means of communication in
various contexts.
It’s sad to see the decline of a language, as language is an important part of cultural
heritage. However, linguistic anthropologist provide useful advice and help to maintain and
reinforce such languages.

The Language and the law

According to Frake, the ethnographer’s record of observations of litigation is largely a

linguistic record, and the legal system is a code for talking, a linguistic code. This means
that language plays a crucial role in how legal systems function and how information is
conveyed within them.

There are Linguistic Differences in Legal Systems and it includes the following:

• The Yakan legal system is primarily communicated through talk, making it a linguistic
code.

To further elaborate, The Yakan legal system relies heavily on oral communication,
which serves as its primary mode of expression. In essence, legal norms, rules, and practices
are transmitted through spoken language, creating a linguistic code that shapes Yakan legal
traditions.

• The US legal system is written down, but its language is spoken, posing challenges for
litigants.

It states that In the US legal system, while legal principles are codified in written
form, the language used in courtrooms can be complex and challenging for litigants. Which
means that even though the rules are written, the way they’re discussed in court can be like a
different language, making it tough for regular folks to navigate.

Courtroom Speech Behavior

• The speech behavior of the prosecuting attorney, legal counsel for the defendant, the
defendant, and witnesses can carry more weight than the actual words.

The way individuals involved in a legal case, such as the prosecuting attorney,
defense counsel, defendant, and witnesses, speak can carry more weight than the actual words
they use. This means that their tone, body language, and overall demeanor can influence how
their message is perceived and received by others involved in the case, including jurors and
judges.

• The use of “powerless” speech, such as hedges, can create an impression of lack of
confidence in the testimony.

The use of “powerless” speech, such as hedges or tentative language, can create an
impression of a lack of confidence in the testimony. When individuals use phrases like “I
think” or “I’m not sure,” it can weaken the impact of their statements and make them appear
less credible or certain about their own testimony.

• A juror’s negative impression of a lawyer as a result of their speech behavior with

witnesses can be transferred to the person the lawyer is representing, potentially
affecting the case.
 If a juror forms a negative impression of a lawyer based on their speech behavior
during interactions with witnesses, this negative perception can be transferred to the person
the lawyer is representing, potentially affecting the outcome of the case. Jurors may associate
the lawyer’s behavior with the credibility of their client, even if it’s not directly related.

In summary, speech behavior plays a significant role in legal proceedings, as it can influence
how messages are perceived, impact the credibility of witnesses, and even affect the overall
impression of the person being represented by a lawyer. This highlights the linguistic
differences in legal systems, where the Yakan legal system relies heavily on oral
communication, while the US legal system combines written and spoken language.

Reference:

Fifth edition. Language, Culture, and Society. “An Introduction to Linguistic anthropology”
written by: ZDENEK SAZMANN, JAMES M. STANLAW, NOBUKO ADACHI