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Linguistic anthropology-- the study of language in the context of human social and cultural diversity, past and present--is central to the discipline of anthropology as a whole. While there are many disciplines that focus on language—and so participate in some more general endeavor called "linguistics"—an anthropological approach to language emphasizes insights that can be gained, through attention to the various forms of language and language use, about social and cultural systems and practices in the widest range of times and places. It is often remarked that language is crucial to what makes us human: as a capacity that is in part biologically-based, language is a medium for thought, a vehicle for cultural transmission, and a means of social action. Language is at the nexus of biology, history, culture, cognition, and social life. Linguistic anthropologists, then, study the ways in which people negotiate, contest, and reproduce cultural forms and social relations through language, and the ways in which language provides insights into the nature and evolution of culture and human society. The structural aspects of language that have been the traditional province of linguists are for us but a starting point for understanding the diverse conditions of human beings in the world. Linguistic anthropologists seek to understand the social and cultural foundations of language itself, while exploring how social and cultural formations are grounded in linguistic practices. The University of Michigan's linguistic anthropology subfield emphasizes the integration of social theory and analysis with the analysis of linguistic form. We are especially strong in our engagement with historical issues, such as processes of standardization in nation-building, the effects of colonialism on the territorial distribution and social hierarchies among languages, and the ways in which language and other semiotic systems are deployed to constitute particular kinds of publics. We emphasize ethnography—usually in international settings—as crucial to graduate training. Our core faculty (1) have training in formal linguistics; (2) integrate linguistic and social analysis in their own research; (3) have strong training—and ongoing research interests—in social-cultural anthropology, in social theory and in the history of anthropology; and (4) have ongoing ethnographic engagement.
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