Living Language - (Primers in Anthropology) 3rd Edition by Laura M Ahearn (Paperback)

About the Book

"Language, especially as it is used in real-life social contexts, can be absolutely fascinating but rather challenging to study. Linguistic anthropology as a discipline offers a set of concepts and tools for undertaking this challenge. My goal in this book is to provide an accessible introduction to the main principles and approaches of linguistic anthropology without overly simplifying the complex contributions of scholars in the field. To the degree that this book succeeds in accomplishing this goal, it will be useful not just to graduate and undergraduate students studying linguistic anthropology for the first time (to whom I very much hope to communicate my enthusiasm for the field) but also to all sorts of other readers who might for various reasons be interested in "living language." These readers might include, for example, cultural anthropologists, practicing anthropologists, sociologists, or political scientists who have never looked closely at language in their work but could benefit from doing so. I also hope the book will be of value to linguists whose work thus far has been more technical and abstract in nature but who would like to turn their attention to the study of actual instances of linguistic practice. And finally, I hope the book will appeal to anyone who has a natural curiosity about the central role language plays in shaping and reflecting cultural norms and social interactions."--

Book Synopsis

A new, fully revised edition of this bestselling textbook in linguistic anthropology, updated to address the impacts of globalization, pandemics, and other contemporary socio-economic issues in the study of language

Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology has introduced thousands of students to the engaging and compelling field of linguistic anthropology. Now in a new, fully updated and revised third edition, this bestselling textbook provides a student-friendly exploration of language as a social and cultural practice. Covering both theory and real-world practice, this clear and highly accessible textbook examines the relationship between language and social context while highlighting the advantages of an ethnographic approach to the study of language. The third edition includes a timely new chapter that investigates how technologies such as social media and online meetings have changed language. The new edition also considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on linguistic practices, ensuring that this text will be a valuable resource for students for years to come. This insightful text:

• Offers an engaging introduction to the field of linguistic anthropology
• Features all-new material covering contemporary technologies and global developments
• Explains how language use is studied as a form of social action
• Covers nonverbal and multimodal communication, language acquisition and socialization, the relationship between language and thought, and language endangerment and revitalization
• Explores various forms of linguistic and social communities, and discusses social and linguistic differentiation and inequality along racial, ethnic, and gender dimensions

Requiring no prior knowledge in linguistics or anthropology, Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, Third Edition, is the perfect textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in introductory linguistic anthropology as well as related courses in sociolinguistics, sociology, and communication.

From the Back Cover

Ahearn s textbook is comprehensive and engaging, presenting cogent summaries of key research alongside accessible introductions to contemporary theory, with useful guides for further study.

P. Kerim Friedman, Associate Professor, Department of Ethnic Relations and Cultures, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan

A commendable update of an already outstanding textbook especially appreciated is the engagement with our contemporary pandemic moment and with the ways of speaking that attempt to make sense of it.

Anthony K. Webster, Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin

Accessible, comprehensive, and updated with a section on current online communicative practices, Ahearn s Living Language remains the best introduction to linguistic anthropology I have read.

Lavanya Murali, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Lawrence University

Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology has introduced thousands of students to the engaging and compelling field of linguistic anthropology. Now in a new, fully updated and revised third edition, this bestselling textbook provides a student-friendly exploration of language as a social and cultural practice. Covering both theory and real-world interactions, this clear and highly accessible textbook examines the relationship between language and social context while highlighting the advantages of an ethnographic approach to the study of language.

In this important work, author Laura M. Ahearn combines classic work and contemporary studies to help readers understand key elements of linguistic anthropology, while also considering future research directions in the field. Fully updated throughout, this edition includes a timely new chapter that investigates how technologies such as social media and online meetings have changed language and transformed communicative interactions. The new edition also considers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on linguistic practices, ensuring that this text will be a valuable resource for students for years to come. Throughout the text, compelling and relatable cases illustrate the relevance of linguistic anthropology in an increasingly globalized world and explain how language use can be studied as a form of social action.

Living Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, Third Edition, is the perfect textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in introductory linguistic anthropology as well as related courses in sociolinguistics, sociology, and communication.

About the Author

Laura M. Ahearn is a linguistic and cultural anthropologist who has conducted research in Nepal on agency, language, and changing marriage practices. Formerly a tenured professor at Rutgers University, she is currently a Senior Learning Advisor at Social Impact, a global development management consulting firm, where she studies and supports the implementation of USAID s Digital Development Strategy. She is the author of Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters, and Social Change in Nepal.