EticEtic

From linguistics—sounds people really From linguistics—sounds people really makemake

toptop

potpot

What English speakers What English speakers hear:hear:

The “t” of “pot” and “top” are the The “t” of “pot” and “top” are the samesame

The “p” of “pot” and “top” are the The “p” of “pot” and “top” are the samesame

The real shounds are:The real shounds are:

TThhopop PPhhotot

For many langauges, TFor many langauges, Th h is a separate is a separate sound from T and has a different sound from T and has a different letter of the alphabetletter of the alphabet

Same for PSame for Ph h and Pand P

phonphoneticetic

Means the sounds we actually make—Means the sounds we actually make—they may be different, but sound the they may be different, but sound the

same to ussame to us

PhonPhonemicemic

Is the sounds we hear as being the Is the sounds we hear as being the same, whether they really are the same, whether they really are the

same or notsame or not

Emic/EticEmic/Etic

Etic=the things we can know Etic=the things we can know scientifically, without reference to scientifically, without reference to anyone’s culture—color wheelanyone’s culture—color wheel

Emic=the categories people recognize Emic=the categories people recognize and use in their culture—categories and use in their culture—categories of colorof color

Are there any limits on Are there any limits on cultural variation?cultural variation?

Brent Berlin & Paul KayBrent Berlin & Paul Kay

Do people from different cultures see Do people from different cultures see different colors?different colors?

Or do we all see the same colors Or do we all see the same colors because of our evolutionary history?because of our evolutionary history?

People can see and name a lot of People can see and name a lot of colors, but of these, 11 are focal colors, but of these, 11 are focal points of the system of naming points of the system of naming colors.colors.

11 basic color terms in 3 11 basic color terms in 3 groupsgroups

     

achromatic achromatic black, gray, white black, gray, white

primaryprimaryred, green, blue, yellowred, green, blue, yellow

secondarysecondarybrown, orange, purple, pinkbrown, orange, purple, pink

Paul Kay (linguistics, University of Paul Kay (linguistics, University of California at Berkeley)California at Berkeley)

Terry Regier (psychology, University of Terry Regier (psychology, University of Chicago)Chicago)

Richard Cook (linguistics, University of Richard Cook (linguistics, University of California at Berkeley)California at Berkeley)

John O'Leary (computer science, John O'Leary (computer science, University of Chicago) University of Chicago)

Sometimes there’s a lot of variation Sometimes there’s a lot of variation among cultures—e.g. sounds for among cultures—e.g. sounds for languagelanguage

Sometimes there’s not much variationSometimes there’s not much variation—e.g. focal color terms—e.g. focal color terms

Focal colors in 110 languages

Black dots represent English categories

Etic=what’s really thereEtic=what’s really there

E.g. color chart, phonetic soundsE.g. color chart, phonetic sounds

Emic=the categories people Emic=the categories people recognize and userecognize and use

E.g. in English TE.g. in English Th h = T Ph h =P

Back to Cultural EcologyBack to Cultural Ecology

land use, land tenure, kinship, land use, land tenure, kinship, residence are emic, parts of cultural residence are emic, parts of cultural codes—ideologies—that are codes—ideologies—that are important for how people produce important for how people produce things things

For instance, holy cows in India, tithing For instance, holy cows in India, tithing for Mormonsfor Mormons

But cultural ecology also studies the But cultural ecology also studies the results of peoples’ actions such as results of peoples’ actions such as obesity, global warming, obesity, global warming, environmental pollution and environmental pollution and demography whether or not the demography whether or not the people have the same understanding people have the same understanding of these things as we doof these things as we do

Julian Steward, 1955Julian Steward, 1955

With a given technology in a given With a given technology in a given environment, people have to do environment, people have to do some things a certain way or not at some things a certain way or not at all. That explains cultural similarities. all. That explains cultural similarities.

People face different problems in People face different problems in different environments and with different environments and with different technologies and that different technologies and that explains cultural differences.explains cultural differences.

Different selective forces in our Different selective forces in our biological evolution worked at cross-biological evolution worked at cross-purposes. E.g. bipedalism and purposes. E.g. bipedalism and mature birth of infants.mature birth of infants.

Marshall SahlinsMarshall Sahlins

““Lots of things people do are truly Lots of things people do are truly stupid, if understandable….” stupid, if understandable….”

““To adapt is to do as well as possible To adapt is to do as well as possible under the circumstances—which may under the circumstances—which may not turn out very well at all.”not turn out very well at all.”

It is not to achieve a perfect fit, but It is not to achieve a perfect fit, but to find reasonable solutions to the to find reasonable solutions to the problems that face people. problems that face people.

Since cultural ecology directs our Since cultural ecology directs our attention to those aspects of the attention to those aspects of the culture most related to making a culture most related to making a living, anthropologists need to living, anthropologists need to understand economic systems. We understand economic systems. We need a framework that allows us to need a framework that allows us to compare all economic systems compare all economic systems without being ethnocentric. without being ethnocentric.

While it is important to understand While it is important to understand systems from the inside, to systems from the inside, to understand their emic meanings, if understand their emic meanings, if we want to compare cultures, we we want to compare cultures, we have to step outside of them and have to step outside of them and develop frameworks that do not develop frameworks that do not depend on the ideas of any single depend on the ideas of any single culture. culture.

We’ll develop an etic system for We’ll develop an etic system for studying economics whether in the studying economics whether in the U.S. or New Guinea.U.S. or New Guinea.

All societiesAll societies

Produce the things they needProduce the things they need

Exchange things with each other and Exchange things with each other and people of other societiespeople of other societies

Consume thingsConsume things

3 subsystems of economic 3 subsystems of economic systemsystem

1.1. ProductionProduction

2.2. ExchangeExchange

3.3. ConsumptionConsumption

3 subsystems of economic 3 subsystems of economic systemsystem

1.1. ProductionProduction

2.2. ExchangeExchange

3.3. ConsumptionConsumption