Sociology

I came across an anthropology article discussing the linguistic characteristics of a particular tribe. According to the anthropologist, language is an intangible aspect of culture. Language is defined as a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another. The tribe is located in the Amazon jungles, 100 miles from the nearest urban center. Apparently, the tribe communicates through a unique language system which has no perceived vowels. If the language is put into writing or even translation, there is no apparent A or I sound. This is extremely crazy. I was raised to believe that all cultures have equivalent vowels. This was culture shock in its conceptual sense (culture shock occurs when an individual suffers personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life or another culture). I need not go to the Amazon to experience the shock  reading is sufficient).

The anthropologist noted that the tribe has a specialized system of symbols. In essence, symbols are defined as anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share culture. A tie know can have two meanings kill a fish or cook. According to the anthropologist, the symbols system reinforces the relatively less sophisticated language of the tribe. In Western culture, language and symbols are studied separately because variations in linguistics are often unrelated to variations in symbols. But here is an anthropologist who thinks that language and symbols are reinforcing systems of shared communication.

After reading the article, I browsed the internet to read more articles about the tribe. I truly became a fond of this trie.